The Sinners' Pilgrimage
by ExistentialBeliever
Summary: A plan was set in motion, a malicious scheme hatched under the shadow of the Holy Grail War. Haunted by his past sin,Shirou must uncover the truth behind this conspiracy before its apocalyptic emergence brought forth the end of irouxSaber OCs AU. Rated M for intense violence and gore. Discontinued.
1. The Foreboding Omen

_Holy Grail_

_The carrier of the Son of God's blood, _

_As a divine artifact of a power beyond mankind's wildest dream, a mere sip of its nectar was said to grant eternal life for those deemed to be worthy._

_However, similar to most artifacts of its nature, Holy Grail, too, was lost in time and faded away over the course of history._

_Many had set out to seek for it, for both good and evil, some for its connection with Christ, others to claim its power as their own._

_Alas, few had ever returned from such quests and, through the midst of false reports and delusions, no mortal hand had ever came close to seize the Grail as his own._

_Centuries passed with none to even merely grace their eyes upon the chalice and the Grail eventually submerged into the realm of imagination, receding into the fabric of myths and legends._

_One by one, the believers eventually died out and the searches were reduced to no more than a fool's errand._

_Alas, it wasn't that the pilgrims were merely chasing after figments of dream. It simply was that a crucial fact was omitted from their knowledge, being shared only by a circle of men who had sworn to utmost secrecy. _

_It was to their knowledge that the Grail was not a mere object. The chalice possessed a will of its own, a conscience, one that for ages eluded it existence to be from the filth of mankind._

_To a great power came great responsibility, thus none but the most worthy could be chosen as the wielder. To this end, a ritual of selection was staged to ensure that the artifact would not be defiled by any wretched hand._

_The Holy Grail War: a clash of mages who employed the service of the heroic souls of the past. The ritual itself was long and bloody as the selected few slaughtered one another until the last was acknowledged by the Grail as its wielder._

_Years had passed since the last war and the Holy Grail now ownerless, once again, desired another wielder. Blinded by greed, magi of reputable skills and statuses found themselves drawn to this newfound opportunity. Like moths drawn to fire, one by one, they entered the tournament._

_Myriad of ideas were put to clash in this battlefield of avarice. Alas, there might be none who would emerge victorious as the approaching doom of humanity loomed over the horizon. _

_Under its veil, the war housed a great secret. An evil secret shrouded under its shadow through an intricate web of murder and deceit. A secret left to be chiseled away by passage of time, forever forgotten by all men. A secret that was starting its emergence to plunge the world into the new apocalypse. _

_As the horns of war sounded, mankind shall, once again, be pitted against their worst nemesis. _

_Here before the very pinnacle of their existence, our tales shall be unfold…_

**Chapter 01: The Foreboding Omen **

**24 hours** **before official beginning of the Holy Grail war **

**?** **(23.58PM) **

"Worry not, young man. The foundation had been laid to run its course," an angelic winged figure muttered in the hallway of carved granite. His dull halo and his jet-black wings allowed him to easily blend with the gloom of his surrounding. "Once this war end, our time of fruition shall be nigh."

"I'm reluctant to share your optimism. As far as I can see, your last effort failed miserably," another challenged the angel in a skeptical tone. With the few information gleaned from his voice, the speaker was a male in the early stage of his adulthood. The lack of light left, however, left his remaining characteristics unidentifiable. Both he and his weapons leaned on the wall of the polished black stone, half covered in shadow.

"Indeed, but only because of our negligence to accept the fact that in these past few decades they have grown past the stage of merely being our pawns," the black winged angel continued. "Nevertheless, the change that will be introduced in this upcoming war shall be sufficient to account for our past mistake."

"Although not without much effort." The man muttered stoically as if to complain, although the absence of emotion made his statement sounded more like a mundane report.

"Still, I believe that this ordeal is nothing out of your league."

"Even so, that doesn't mean things will be any easier." Eventually seeing the futility of his complaint, the man decided to drop the matter, "Fine, let's just get on with it then. Is it fine to conclude this meeting here?"

"Suit yourself. The remaining details have been sent to your chamber."

"There is no need. A good hunter study his prey before each hunt." The man extracted himself from the wall and proceeded toward a small tunnel, which leads out of the dimly lit room.

"Wait." Before the man could make his exit, the angel stalled his footstep with sharp command. "None of this warning may be necessary considering your prowess, but you must not let your relationship with them give way to any mercy."

"If that's what bothers you, consider it relieved. Too long had my feet tread this same path that there is no more possibility of turning back. Your suspicion is merely an insult," the man replied, but didn't bother to turn back. "Is that all?"

"Yes, you may leave."

The man paused for a few moments before giving a reluctant bow and hurriedly left. Years of serving under the fallen angel could only do little to tame his stubborn nature. Even small signs of respect were rare to find but the angel didn't mind it- or the lack of it- in that matter for he was too valuable an asset to lose.

"It won't be much longer, my lord," the angel muttered to himself. His glazed eyes gazed into a distant past. "You were chained down for so long but soon your shackle will be broken and the new era, our era will be born. Soon, my lord, very soon." A single teardrop made its way down the angel's cheek as he muttered silently to himself, though for what reason was not known. It froze before reaching the ground and, upon impact, broke into million pieces.

**Fuyuki City, Emiya Residence (5:58 AM) **

_The world was covered in fire._

_The red sky was crying blood, lamenting the charred black earth. _

_An infernal serpent swallowed all in its scorching jaw. _

_Countless remains strewn along its path. Most were lifeless, while the merciful embrace of death had yet to claim the less fortunate ones._

_The field echoed with dying prayers yet none were heard in this earthly hell. _

_Among the debris and bodies, a lone child walked aimlessly, dragging his half burnt body to search for the nonexistent salvation. _

Emiya Shirou woke up with a violent start. Adrenaline alerted his senses, further sharpening the horror of his nightmare. It had been long since he last had this dream, yet its profound effect to induce fear in him hadn't lessened in the least bit. In fact, this very moment of awakening was when Shirou was most vulnerable to the terrified screams, the stench of burnt flesh, and the crackling of splinters in his memory.

Shirou's entire body trembled with fear, a usual symptom after his traumatic nightmare. He tried to convince his out-of-controlled breathing that the horror only came into existence through the fabrication of his subconscious mind. The attempt didn't face much success. The surreal horror of the destruction, though existing only in his head, was too realistic to be flushed out.

"No, it was just a nightmare, just a simple nightmare," Shirou spoke out loud, and punched the wall full force with his right fist to erase the vision. The feeling of solid impact against his bare fist gave him a sense of reality. Shirou took a deep breath to take in the sense of familiarity in his surrounding: a familiar building, familiar morning breeze, familiar smell of oil and metal, familiar-

_Fa-mi-liar_?

For a moment the tool shed turned alien. The serene morning breeze turned dry and burning hot. The familiar smell of steel and lubricants that permeated the air now burned with the thick stench of sulfur. Each breath rendered his throat parched as he was assailed with sudden nausea. The world started to spin, blurring his vision. It took all that Shirou had to prevent himself from crumbling down to the floor.

Amidst all the heat, the hairs on Shirou's back all stood will a sudden chill. Someone was watching him, someone with malicious intention yet the pain and nausea made his legs refuse to budge. He heard heavy footsteps approaching from behind. Its owner came closer and closer until Shirou could feel its hot breath tickling the back of his neck, as a pair of hands encircled his throat and firmly sque…..

_Knock, Knock_

"Senpai, are you awake?" a soft feminine voice barely pierced into the shed. Its owner, a timid girl of 16, gently pushed the door ajar and let in the gentle flow of morning breeze. Her free flowing lock of violet hair and delicate facial features bestowed upon her angelic gentleness, which was somewhat tarnished by the cloud of worry for his well being. "Is something matter? You don't look very well today."

Shirou stood blankly as she entered. Nothing was wrong in the slightest from soothing chirps of birds to comfortable flow of crisp autumn wind. In fact, this was an excellent morning.

"Senpai? Are you alright?" Sakura repeated her question, when her previous one met with no answer.

"It's nothing, Sakura. Just worked myself too hard last night," Shirou replied blankly and slowly turned his head backward. It wasn't totally true, but he rather not discuss his nightmare at the moment. Making his mental note to thank her later for tearing him out of his delusion, Shirou balanced himself up using a heater. _Maybe I really was overstressed_. "Give me a few second here, I'll tidy things up real quick and go help you with the breakfast."

"There is no need to, the breakfast is ready," she answered back, her chest puffed up with pride.

Shirou wiped the previously unnoticeable beads of sweat from his forehead and continued the conversation in his usual manner. Although he didn't show it, Shirou felt quite guilty for having her do all of the morning chores. "In this case just let me help you set the plates or else I'm going feel lazy for letting you do all the work."

"Please don't feel that way, Senpai. With how you overworked yourself yesterday, I'm not letting you do any work this morning," was the nonchalant reply from Sakura. Shirou was starting to regret how she worked his lie against him in an instant.

"Come on Sakura. In term of a chore, how hard can setting the table be?"

"You said it yourself. Since setting plates can barely be count as a chre, I don't need your help to do it." Sakura answered and giggled at his dumbstruck reaction. Just months ago she wouldn't dare to talk back to him like this, at the very least it was a sign that she was comfortable enough to be casual around him.

"But, in that case, it should be fine if I'm the one who does it, right?" This was a losing argument Shirou knew but his masculine pride wouldn't allow him to back out easily. However there wasn't much that he could do to change Sakura's mind in this stage, where it gained surprisingly stubborn quality.

"Absolutely not, Senpai. I won't let you do it and that's final." Sakura's reply was more forceful than usual, like a tone that mothers use to scold their disobedient child.

_Seriously, there's no wonder why so many guys in school were so keen on getting their hands on her. Beautiful, gentle, caring, excellent culinary skill, what's more can a man want in a woman._

"And, Senpai, if you want to help me with something, you should clean up before going into the dining room."

It didn't take long for her words to sink in and make Shirou realized his miserable state of appearance.

His hand and lower sleeves was painted black with grime and the trusty old repair shirt seemed years older with dust, sweat, wrinkles, and viscous liquid than formed random blotches upon the fabric. "Understood. Sorry that you have to see this pitiful sight first thing in the morning."

"It's fine. I don't really mind but please don't forget to clean up or Fujimura sensei might scold you again." With that said Sakura closed the door and Shirou was once again left in the shed. No longer was he haunted by his nightmare which now seemed like nothing but a distant past. His conversation with her had improved his mood somewhat but still he couldn't help but wonder at the recent dream's realism.

Deciding that he had nothing more to do in the shed, Shirou started to head toward the main house for a quick wash before breakfast. His mind no longer dwelled on the sobering thoughts of his past. The only things that mattered were his peaceful life, and a lifelong goal of that would lead to his redemption. They were more than he could ever hope to acquire, after the sins he committed 10 years ago.

"_**YOU'LL PAY FOR YOUR SIN!" **_

Shirou snapped his neck backward. His hand released the knob in surprise. His field of vision shifted back to the shed in response to the ghastly voice, but not even the slightest trace of a speaker greeted his eyes. He blinked once, then twice, to refresh his vision, still nothing.

After some time Shirou resigned from trying to find any sign of life in the shed, which, no matter how hard he looked, was deserted. It's just my imagination, Shirou told himself, however something seemed to be convincing him otherwise. The ghastly voice and the pressure that had encircled his throat were too real to be dismissed as imagination. Even now, he could still feel the grip that was about to squeeze the life out of him.

_NO! Why am I getting myself confused between reality and imagination_? Shirou thought wildly and shook his head hard. Still feeling that there was something watching him in the shed, Shirou quickened his pace and marched toward the main house, hoping a cold morning shower could bring his jumbled mind back on track.

Eventually, his anxiety became too great a force to ignore and forced Shirou to sneak a glance backward, half expecting to see trail of corpses crawling after him. Once again, he confirmed that nothing was amiss in the slightest. Sighing in relief, he continued his steps, his heart much lighter than before. Alas it was still anchored by some remaining shred of guilt.

Unbeknownst to Shirou, the deepest corner of the shed was dimly pulsating in a slow rhythm with a newly created magic circle. A pair of eyes gazed out from it observing him as he made his way into the building. The fact that Shirou nearly became aware of its existence was surprising to say the least, but all was well now that he continued on with the day in oblivious bliss.

Inwardly, it laughed at the boy, whose current peaceful life was about to be collapsed by the turning wheel of fate, that would soon pit him against the sin that had seen haunting him for the last 10 years.

Seeing that Shirou was out of sight, the eyes decided to lay dormant for the time being. The time to attack would come but now it must rest to give the final touch to the preparation. With a mental cackle, its eyelids lowered in anticipation of the coming night.

**Fuyuki City**, **Tohsaka Residence (6:04 AM) **

The morning sunlight seeped gently through the cold window of a western manor, lightly creating wavy line of gold where it squeezed through cracks between the curtains of the dark bedroom. An alarm clocked was ringing, determined to force Tohsaka Rin to abandon the warm comfort of her bed. However, neither want nor have enough energy to lift herself off the blissful softness, the only thing that it managed to accomplish was annoying her. She was far beyond tired with a combination of depletion of magical energy and lack of sleep.

Rin was desperately shuffling on the bed to scramble for the alarm clock that was disrupting her rest. With a satisfied sigh, Rin manage shut it down. The sound died down with a small click, giving her a few precious moments of peace sleep before it started ringing again even louder still. For the second time Rin extended her hand to turn the device off and for the third time it continued to ring even louder. The pattern continued for some time before Rin started to realize how stupid it was to quarrel with a mechanical device, decided to wait the noise out, and hid deeper under her blanket.

After a while the noise cease, however it wasn't long before another obstacle presented itself. A pair of hands gently but firmly shook her body. Ultimately annoyed, Rin tried to push away the intruder but the strength of her frail arms stood no chance against his muscular stature.

The presence of a man alarmed Rin. This fear was responded to by a quick lash her right foot out of self-protection. The movement came as a surprise to the intruder, yet the blow passed mere centimeters away from him with rapid shifting of his head position. Rin tried to strike again after realizing that she missed, although there was no need to once her brain registered the identity of the man.

_Archer?_

Rin was astounded at her own stupidity for mistaking her own servant as an intruder. No matter her exhaustion, forgetting about her own Servant was certainly a laughable action. Rin felt the warmth growing in her cheeks from embarrassment that was soon transformed into the heat of anger.

"Archer? May I ask what are you doing in my room?" Rin spoke femininely sweet, yet the real meaning was clear: _answer well or you shall die_.

"Why master?" he snickered. "Weren't you the one who told me to wake you up?"

"W-well I-I did but-" Rin tried to form a reply however she only ended up mumbling incoherently, after she realized her second mistake: forgetting a small request she asked of him last night.

"Well you certainly did master and I have I to say that I'm not at all pleased with your current treatment of me. Even us Servants have human rights, you know?"

"Maybe I wouldn't have to kick you if you just woke me up normally, not trying to grope me." Rin retorted fiercely, which she admitted contained some degree of exaggeration, but at this stage she wasn't exactly the most rational person either.

"So now you are accusing me of sexually harassing you," Archer replied back to her nonchalantly totally oblivious or ignorant of Rin's growing anger. A slight smile on his face showed how he enjoyed the fact that he was left flustering at the advantages he had in this argument. "I think you forgot to consider how much of a sleepyhead you can be, Master. I already tried using this poor alarm clock to the best of my ability without waking all of your neighbors down this whole block." "

"Th-then perhaps you could try a little harder before touching me." Despite the absurdity of her claim, Rin obviously wouldn't allow herself to lose to her own Servant. Her pride wouldn't allow such thing to happen.

"Now you are starting to be unreasonable. I'll tell you that that childish body of yours can't even begin to put me into the mood. "At this point Archer was not paying his full attention to this childish argument as he was busy reverting the bedside alarm clock he strengthened earlier for waking Rin up to its normal state. Rin, however, was not amused by his comment.

"What is that supposed to mean?" With her anger nearly flooded out of its dam, Rin open glared at him. Unbeknownst to the man himself, Archer's fate was a hanging on a very thin strand of thread.

"Is there even a need to ask, Master? I mean everything literally, so you shouldn't have any challenge in interpreting my meaning." Archer had a little pause, before continuing with a devious grin. "Well, if you really want to know, I mean that you really need a lot of work on development of your childish body's curves before I'll be willing to touch it in a perverse way."

SNAP. His lifeline was cut. Archer's last defense against his master's wrath lay crumbled by his careless words. Although Rin knew she didn't possess the most alluring body in the world but, as all girls do, she still took some pride in them. At this stage angry wouldn't nearly give an accurate description of what happened to her, she was way beyond it.

"Get out." Rin's voice lost the sugarcoated sweetness that normally camouflaged her anger.

"Hmm?" Archer moved closer to her in a carefree manner, oblivious to his impending doom.

"I said….GET OUT NOW!" In the same moment that Archer was stunned by her voice, her left foot left the cover of her blanket and, unlike last time, this one was well aimed to hit its mark at the weakest spot in man's anatomy.

"GAH." The two-pronged attack of her scream and kick worked perfectly. Archer immediately regretted letting his guard down from a sharp pain in his groin. Deciding not to put his luck to the test, he attempted to escape while being under fire from every solid object that his Master could get her hand on.

As a servant, Archer was confident about his speed, however it wasn't nearly fast enough. The moment before he slipped away from the door, Archer felt a sharp impact on his head. Rin had scored a bull's eye with the alarm clock, breaking the unfortunate device to pieces, before Archer managed to pull close the door and seal her inside.

Back in the room, Rin was sighing in frustration. Her anger, however, had disappeared, being overshadowed by the exhaustion and disappointment she had faced since the beginning of the war.

Initially, she had presumed that she took every precaution possible for anything that could happen. But nothing seemed to have prepared her for the rude, annoying, and ungentlemanly being that called her Master more out of sarcasm than loyalty.

"Give me a break. How can it get any worse than this?"

To put the result of her summoning bluntly, she messed up. She failed at getting her desired class of servant, the knight of sword, and the one that she ended up summoning devastated her image of a perfect gentlemanly Servant that she had hoped for.

Another sigh left her lips, as she regretted her stupidity. However, there was still another matter that had greatly irked her for the past few days, which should have been considered to be more important if the matter of the Holy Grail War hadn't demand her constant and utmost priority. As a magus that had lived all her life in this city, she was starting to detect the changes in the flow of mana[1] within it. Was it the change in preparation for the Grail's arrival, or was it something else entirely. There was no way of knowing as of yet.

The whole bizarreness of the situation filled her with unease. Ever since she joined the war as a Master, she couldn't shake off the feeling that the extent of its secret might be deeper than what they knew. She couldn't remember what had transpired during her momentary contact with the grail in the summoning ritual, but for one thing it made her feel as if all the Masters and the Servants were mere pawns and the whole war was but a ruse covering a grander scheme.

There were few ideas to support this feeling and many to raise rebuttals, yet it was still there, lurking somewhere in the back of her mind. With great effort, Rin forced herself to swallow the negative thought and steeled her mind for the coming war. It was the only thing she could do. Then perhaps when this war ended she could undo her father's mistake.

_No, it's mine too._ Rin thought guiltily. For too long she had simply watched without taking action, however now she was resolved to put an end to the issue that had been plaguing her for the last decade. Alas, it will have to wait until after the war. Her determination to survive and win was rekindled by the thought as she rose up for the new day.

**Vatican City, Sistine Chapel (19:45 PM)**

In the darkness of the closed chapel, Carlo Benedetti expertly navigated his way through the area which he knew by heart. His feet automatically traced the steps they used to make daily for the last 50 years, to the other end of chapel. The old cardinal was more familiar to the place than his lodging in the opposite side of the city.

With extra care not to trip upon the heightened steps the led further into the chapel, Benedetti pulled to a stop before a darkened wall of fresco and carefully fumbled around with a match to a light baroque candle stand. Even in his frail age of mid-60s, his weakened body didn't prove to be a hindrance to his movement and the trace of intense physical training in his youth could be observed through thick fabric of traditional priest cloth. His aged fingers, filled with experience, took only a moment to bring the chapel to life by four flickering flames. Under the candlelight the world famous painting of The Last Judgment became visible in all its grotesque glory.

When his eyes had sufficiently adjusted to get a clear vision his surroundings, Benedetti cleared his throat loudly with a cough and started speaking in his usual Italian-accented English. "If you are here, I take it that the summoning ritual was a success."

"It was harder than we had anticipated but still a success nevertheless," a voice replied back to Benedetti, more youthful but equally solemn - as if respecting the sanctity of the place.

Its speaker appeared in the previously blank space like a chameleon taking off its camouflage. Sitting on one of the previously empty pews was a young Caucasian with pale blond hair and warm golden eyes. The man smiled and shifted his gaze to Benedetti to acknowledge the cardinal's presence in the room, before continuing to intently observe the mural. Perhaps it was the childishly innocent quality of his appearance or perhaps it was the gentleness radiating from his smile but, under the faint glow of candlelight, something about the man made him seemed ethereal, angelic even.

"How unusual, I thought you never took a liking to this picture," said the cardinal, when he saw that the man's interest was targeted at the Last Judgment.

"That I haven't but I just have this feeling. Maybe it is his way of warning me," the man replied softly. He still seemed to be in a trance.

"I sure hope that he has a good reason for forcing you to look at a picture that you hate this intently."

The young man clutched his lower stomach before he continued. "Not hate. I know it sound childish, but it just that I could never really cope that well with death - even if it is in a painting."

"It is certainly a pity that a kind hearted boy like you has to be dragged into this mess. You would be able to serve far better in the church than in the Burial Agency[2]."

"Although I do fancy that prospect, there is no point in discussing it now everything had gone this far," the man shrugged and replied quietly. "I'm grateful for your concern but it is already too late now that all preparation has been made and…..."

"And?"

"I already made up my mind that I would prevent that tragedy from happening again." No matter what the cost." His voice turned grim when he said the last part but a slight uncertain tone as he trailed off was a dead giveaway to his true feelings.

Still, Benedetti, much against his will, silently accepted the young man's determination. Despite being gullible, he could be unyieldingly stubborn about certain matters.

The cardinal started moved to find a seat. His withered legs have not much energy left in them especially his aching right knee. Deciding not to linger on the matter, Benedetti spoke up after a quick look at his wristwatch. "Shouldn't you start to head to the airport then? I believe it is nearly is the time for your flight."

"Actually, I still have a few minutes. Samael called to tell me that he was still busy doing some last minute preparation. There's lot of things we need to prepare for this mission, you see. "The man's reply sounded distant for he was only giving the cardinal half of his attention while the other half was still fixated on the mural. "Still, considering that we can skip the airport custom and bag check, we will probably arrive just in time before the take off."

After a single disaster when a Burier was arrested as a terrorist for attempting to bring an RPG on board and a long talk with a combination of pleading and threat-making to bail him out, the Vatican decided to collaborate with governments all over the world to grant the Buriers free access into most countries, meaning no need for bag checks, visas, and passports plus an occasional private jet. All of which are included as one benefit to make up for the high risk of this job.

"That should leave him 30 or so minutes at the latest to finish packing and head to our meeting point at the Fiumicino. As for me, I will start to head out now," the man said before continuing in a whisper to himself. "Hopefully, he won't get lost in the vault trying to find it. If he does then we'll surely miss the plane."

"The vault? Why wasn't I told that you two are trying to withdraw an artifact? I think you should explain in a little more detail," Benedetti asked the man in an interrogating voice, only a second after he'd taken a seat on the leftmost pew by the fresco. Even at his age senile was not a word that could be linked to Benedetti.

The man straightened up immediately as if was hit by an electric shock. "I-I d-don't know wh-what it is but it is not something too dangerous…. I think."

Benedetti heaved a sigh at the man's ineptness at lying. Now he was really worried. There weren't many weapons in the vault that required such secrecy and those ones that did often possessed power so immense that they had to be sealed off by the church, never to be used again. However part of his conscience was giving him a tug in the other direction.

"I suppose I can turn a blind eye, considering the situation." Against his better judgment, he gave the permission, partly due to guilt from sending them to what would probably be their deaths. It would be too cruel to deny them of whatever they need to increase their chance against the abysmal odds.

"You have my thanks," the teenager replied. His tense body visibly relaxed at the thought that there wouldn't be more probing into the matter at least for the time being.

A momentary silence enveloped the pair. The atmosphere in the room was heavy but conversation was not a preferable option, for both men have much to think. The thick silence was holding dominance within the room before it was finally broken by soft taps of leather shoes on the floor, as the young man lifted himself off the pew and started to head out of the chapel.

"Since you are not going to change your mind about being a part of this mission, you have my deepest gratitude. I do realize that participating in this senseless war is a job desired by none yet is necessary for a greater purpose to be achieved." The cardinal's voice rang out from deep within the chapel. It sounded weary and much older than his real age. "Please relay my message to your partner."

"There is no need for your gratitude. The only reason I entered this war is because of my desire for redemption," he replied and pushed the carved marble double door to create an opening for him to pass through. "I'm just desperate enough for a peace of mind to be willing to soil my hand with even more sins."

"But even so your action is still noble, even if the means to reach it is not. Do bear in mind that your success will ensure the survival of mankind. I shall be praying for your success. Godspeed, Za-"

"Please refrain from calling me with that title. Personally, I think it is too arrogant to be using his name." The man rudely interrupted the cardinal in the middle of his sentence. However the cardinal didn't seem to mind the lack of manners.

"Pardon my slip of tongue. Godspeed, Abel."

"I'll head to the airport first then. After all, the last thing we're going to need is to miss the flight," Abel said as he closed the double marble door, leaving behind the chapel and its majestic grandeur.

The hallway inside the Vatican Museum was brightly lid with electrical lighting, in contrast to its classic renaissance design. However there was no time for Abel to appreciate this meticulous blend of the modern and ancient era while crossing the room with rapid strides. His mind was preoccupied by other thought, an ominous one that he occasionally has.

Abel realized an abnormality in his earlier action within the chapel but he didn't give much thought of it before. Normally, a look of the Last Judgment would simply disgust his merciful nature that he couldn't stand more than a single glance of it at a time, with the despair, the selfishness, and the sorrow that paralleled so similarly to his past. Yet he'd felt the uncontrollable urge to observe it not out of artistic appreciation but an unexplainable desire, a forewarning.

"_I just hope this is just a false alarm. An approaching judgment day is something I'd rather not think about."_

The strange attraction to the Judgment Day did slightly agitate his paranoiac nature. However as swiftly as it came, this worry of his was short-lived, for the thought of it was quickly discarded as he emerged out into the Saint Peter Square with the raucousness of the tourists which constantly filled the site long after the closing time of Vatican Museum.

The sight of people-saturated square frustrated Abel for he always preferred a peaceful solitude over the suffocating crowd of people. Also, a huge crowd often equaled a huge traffic, which will certainly hinder him from meeting Samael at their fixed time. A huge problem, considering the mission's importance and his partner's temper.

Abel sighed exasperatedly while moving over into of the dark corner beside the basilica. The normative means of transportation won't be fast enough to deliver them to the airport in time, thus he decided to use an extraordinary one.

Once he was sure that none of the eyes were on him, he disappeared for a few second before reappearing on the rooftop in a blink with a transparent pair of wings on his back. Apparently satisfied that no one had noticed him and his earlier stunt, the young man spent a few seconds taking in the minutest details the night view of The Eternal City.

_This might be the last chance I get to enjoy this view_.

He had been briefed about the mission since last month however he still couldn't help but have mix feeling about it. His logical side understood that much more lives will be saved than the ones that will be taken. Yet the act of killing tied his stomach into an uncomfortable knot

Truthfully, he hated this mission. He hated the inevitability of the lives that would be taken during its course and how they would soon taint his hands, both the evil and innocent alike. However despite all that, there was a reason that compelled him to volunteer for this trial. Abel lower his left hand to his lower torso, the dull thumping pain was still there as always. _The mark of my own sin._

The only hope of redeeming himself is to complete this mission, then perhaps the weight of the sin that he bear will finally disappear. Strengthening his will to accept this trial, Abel covered with body with his ethereal pair of wings that dissipated him completely into the starry night sky.


	2. The Prelude to War

**Chapter 2 : The Prelude to War**

**Fuyuki City, Emiya Residence (8.02 PM)**

A lone young man was chased down a narrow corridor of a house, unseen by any soul nearby. His wild breathing rhythmically broke the dead silence of this early night. Controlled by instinct of self-preservation, he blindly fled from the approaching death.

SWOOSHH!

A flash of a steel talon passed through an empty space where his head had previously occupied. Using his sharp reflexes and an incredible stroke of luck, he ducked his head in time to spare it from decapitation.

The predator wasn't disheartened by the man's narrow evasion from its blow. In fact, the twitching of its lower lips indicated that his struggle would serve as a fine entertainment. The beast pursued the escaping man on all fours, inhumanly creeping along the wooden pathway. Its spirit was enlivened by every bit of enjoyment that could be reaped from this hunt.

The prey hadn't realized the fact that the predator was only toying with him, which perhaps was saving his life. This ignorance allowed him to cling onto the false hope of survival and, in his final act of desperation, charged at the predator. His muscles, filled to the brim with adrenaline, the man rushed at what could soon be his death.

The predator was surprised yet amused at its prey's antics. With a quick decision that playtime was over, it rapidly swung its arm in a well-aimed arc that could cleanly sever flesh and bone in one stroke. However at the moment of collision, it was in for an even bigger surprise.

The first thing that the predator could perceive was the failure to satisfy its raging blood thirst. On the moment that it lightly grazed the prey's skin, a significant portion of its talon was softened, as if by intense heat, and then shattered into fragments of steel. With its right hand trapped in the cage of partially melted alloy, the erupting pain forced the predator to withdraw its talon, sparing the prey once again from certain decapitation.

The current development left the predator somewhat shaken, though with anger or fear was unknown, for its talon, which until this moment had sliced countless men, was simply bent and deformed out of its frame. Overcome by this emotion, it unwittingly lowered its guard for an instant.

The window of opening was tiny but enough for the prey, who aimed to strike at this specific moment. Hurling his whole body mass forward, he managed to tackle the assailant down. With an instant of advantage, he gambled his only chance on an attempt to subdue the predator and swung a rod-like object sideway, aiming to dispatch his foe with a well-aimed blow to the temple.

He had no such luck.

The blow was easily perceived by the predator, who regained its sense in time and sliced the man's makeshift weapon. As the prey jerked his hand back to prevent it from sharing his weapon's fate, a sharp impact was dealt to his sternum. The next thing he realized, aside from the pain of collision with the glass door, was that the sky and the ground had flipped as he was somersaulting uncontrollably through the air. With a thud, he landed on his back in the moonlit courtyard.

A moment under the moonlight revealed the figure of Emiya Shirou, battered and bloodied, but definitely alive. Pursued by this inhumane predator, he now knew the source of his unnatural anxiety in the morning. However, there was no time to regret the mistake of denouncing his earlier unease as a physical illness or to celebrate the fact that the misunderstanding of his symptoms had caused him to ask Sakura and Fuji-nee to not drop by for the night. At the moment, survival was the only thing that his agitated brain was given room to process.

In this desperate situation, adrenaline numbed the pain in his torso and spurred him to sprint away from the main house and, surely, his predator. However, this was not a cowardly attempt to escape, for Shirou has his destination set in mind; the tool shed, the only place in the house where potential weapons were stored.

The charge in his muscles previously used to fight was transferred to his leg. Shirou felt that he was faster than ever before but, alas, it was not enough to put a distance between them. Against his better judgment, Shirou glanced back over his shoulder, compelled by curiosity that momentarily prevailed over logic. As he anticipated, the predator was crawling toward him with unnatural speed and a knowing grin on its face.

The raw fear from seeing his predator further enhanced Shirou's speed. It was imperative that he needed something to protect himself with. Only a tiny stretch of a few meters existed between him and the shed. Yet with the predator close behind, the distance of five meters might proved may prove to be deadly. Determined not to lose the race, Shirou transferred every single bits of strength to his legs to soar across the remaining distance.

Not willing to slow down to a stop, Shirou nearly rammed into the door before his right hand circled the knob and pushed without a second thought. Reaching his goal, Shirou blindly dashed into the dark shed and slammed the door shut to buy a few more precious seconds. However, with his mind fixated on finding a suitable weapon, it was already too late as the putrid stench warned him that the shed was no longer his sanctuary.

Cold wind rushed by him, carrying with it a smell of death and decay. Raw terror constricted his lungs. Soft wheezes were drawn in a desperate attempt to breath.

Unable to see clearly, Shirou's trembling leg tripped on the unleveled ground. His fall was gentle, received by a flesh-like texture on the hard concrete. But the steely taste of blood that filled his mouth as it grazed the wet cushion made him recoiled in panic.

Shirou tried to move away only to realize that he was stripped of his bodily control. His limbs dangled helplessly as he lay like an infant on the bloodied ground. It was apparent from the foul circulating magic energy that began to poison his mind that he had fallen into the predator's trap. It was a reality marble, albeit a very weak one. However, its strength was more than enough to ensnare an amateur magus like himself.

_Thump_

His anxiety flared with every approaching footstep.

_Thump_

The dread that filled his throat caused his breathing to be laboriously difficult.

_Thump_

Shirou's drumming heart temporarily drowned out the sound of the predator's footsteps. But it could only offer him solace for so long...

_Thump_

The predator took its final step before the door soundlessly opened, letting in a stream of illuminating moonlight.

The sudden glare of light momentarily blinded Shirou, although the sight that he later perceived almost made him wish that the blindness was permanent. As he'd feared, his cushion was a body stripped bare and painted in the dull carmine of dry blood. He strained his neck to spare himself the scene of such horror only to have his sight fall upon more carelessly abandoned cadavers. All were vivisected and discarded with surgeon-like skill and devilish brutality.

Above him, human bodies were suspended above ground level as if a part of a vile ritual, elevated beyond the sprawling pile of flesh below as if they were trophies of a great hunt. Four were nailed to each wall and the last hung down from the ceiling overlooking the room. Its entrails were left dangling like strands of vine in this forest of corpses. Too severely deformed for their original form to be recognized, it took Shirou needed some time to catch onto the few hints that indicated its feminine gender.

The unearthly sight froze Shirou's struggle with raw fear. As much as he wished to close his eyes, the nauseous enticement of their rotting flesh pried his eyelids open. Unwittingly, his eyes traced upon their face, wizened and hollow with years of being imprisoned. Their mourning echoed with ferocious intensity through hollowed eyes and sealed lips. Their soulless gazes that shifted toward him to witness his forthcoming initiation into their rank added a completing touch to this nightmare.

The predator cast a single shadow into the shed. It had the appearance of human, yet the fact that it was able to conjure and adapt perfectly into this small realm of death and decay was enough testimony to prove otherwise.

This was the first time Shirou had a clear view of his predator, a young man with pale auburn hair and a leather strapping that concealed his upper face, save for two glinting eyes and protruding shape of his nose. The combination of its eerie apparel and metallic talons gave it the look of a being that came straight out of cheap horror movie. It circled around Shirou with an expression that no longer resembled a predator but a gleeful child that was deciding how to play with his new toy.

"ARGHHHHHH!"

An agony in Shirou's left chest blinded his other senses for a moment.

In total disregard of his scream, the predator's broken claw sunk slowly through the free flowing fountain of red, inching closer and closer to his heart. Even with the majority of its length broken off, the deadly edges that remained were still more than sufficient in slicing through human's soft tissue.

In his last ditch struggle, Shirou contracted his chest muscles in an attempt to fight the brittle end of the blade off.

It slowly pulled to a close stop a barely an inch above his heart. However without even the time to take a breath of relief, a sudden spurt of strength allowed the blade to pierce through and lodge itself in his heart.

The world around Shirou then spiraled into oblivion.

**Deserted street 80 km from Fuyuki City (8:10 PM)**

A black four-wheeled drive vehicle zoomed through the countryside highway, obviously exceeding the speed limit. Luckily, the few number of automobiles that were present on the highway had allowed it to slip by without any accident so far.

Occupying the space beside the driver seat, Abel was clearly terrified by the rapid swoosh of scenery that rushed by them with every instant. In contrast to him, the driver sat rigidly on the other side. His hands gripped the wheel with a statue-like quality.

"Are you sure we are not going over the speed limit?" Abel asked, sounding nervous.

"It is far too late for that question to be asked," the statue-like driver answered in a flat tone.

"Slow down then. We'll be in trouble if we crash into another car," Abel persisted.

"There's only a few other cars at the moment. The probability of crashing is miniscule," the stoic man retorted.

"Then you better be really sure to avoid reducing this half-a-million dollars vehicle to a pile of scrap," said Abel, who clearly wasn't so thrilled about the idea of having a car crash anytime soon.

"Relax, the possibility of our safe arrival at the city is likely."

"Your driving seems to convince me otherwise," Abel shouted and swallowed another scream as the driver sharply turned his wheel to dodge the oncoming car from driving in the wrong lane of the road.

"Perhaps, are you saying that you have no qualms about rushing head on into this suicide mission, yet my speed driving unnerves you?"

"Those two are different matters. After all, I'm technically leaving my life to your driving skills," Abel replied, while the car took a sharp turn on the road, with a sharp screech of tire that muted his scream.

"Very funny, like a car crash can ki-" A spark flew in front of the car, giving enough warning for Abel to jump out of the vehicle in time before it erupted in flame. The other one, however, wasn't so lucky and was caught in the blast. The flaming frame of steel swerved around dangerously before crashing into the side of the highway.

After a few moment of flipping around to break the momentum, Abel finally regained control and landed on his feet. He quickly scanned the area for assailants, which were soon to be located on the side of the highway.

_A Servant? No, the magic signal too weak…a familiar then?_

The hooded figure gave him no time to think and rushed forward with fire in one hand and a thin rapier in the other.

Seeing no more need to hold back, Abel gripped his weapon, a white ceremonial dagger adorned with gold sigils, and prepared for the fight.

However, before either party could lay a hand on the other, a slab of burning steel cut through the air, interrupting both and forcing the hooded familiar to step back. Alas he wasn't fast enough. The impact completely shattered his arm.

The projectile flew from the direction of the upside-down smoldering vehicle, which now had two gloved hands protruding from its underside. They worked collaboratively to pull a man out of the wreckage, as if he was an insect being born from a huge flaming cocoon.

"Just what took you so long, Samael?" Abel asked, reassured by his partner's presence.

"Sorry for the wait. My foot stuck." The newly emerged man spoke with a smile, while treading closer to the pair of murderers. His leather boots let out powerful thumps with every step.

No closer inspection was needed to notice the intimidating air that he carried. At the tender age of 24, Samael was at the peak of physical fitness, as shown by his height of 6 feet 5 and the stout wall of muscles that lined his chest and abdomen.

Bushes of flickering orange flame clung lazily along his skin and apparel. He had the appearance of a devil walking out of the gate of hell itself, providing strong contrast with the traditional priest robe that covered up to his neck with a stiff collar.

Despite the fact that he had been trapped for almost a minute under the blazing frame of the vehicle, he displayed no sign of injury. His face, however, was seared to the skull. The remaining was left indiscernible under his robe, woven from strengthened materials.

He stopped ten or so paces from the familiar. His blood red eyes carefully observed its movement.

"I don't know whether you were unable or simply not willing our question, but, if you can, do give this one a thought…." A cold chill that seemed to be diffuse from his presence froze both men from moving even a strand of muscle.

"I'm giving you a choice. How would you like to die?"

**Emiya Residence (8.14PM)**

Only wavy vision and mind wrecking-pain greeted Shirou when he came to. He was still alive but barely. The gaping hole in his chest was still pumping out blood. Although the edge of the broken claw was still sharp enough to cut through his flesh, its decreased length was not sufficient to reach his heart.

However, despite this small miracle that allowed him to retain his life, it wouldn't have made much difference. Even with all the luck on his side, the possibility of prolonging eluding death any longer was doubtful. Ultimately, there was no more question of chance. Emiya Shirou will die.

Whispers of invitation filled his ear. They had waited for him since that day, eagerly waited for him to join their rank.

**_"JOIN US."_**

"_No"_

Shirou knew that there was a possibility of the situation boiling down to this at the first moment that he saw the predator. However its impact was being further emphasized to his mind by this physical agony that gradually invited the lurid face of death toward him. The face of Death, he once saw 10 years ago, filled his vision more vividly than ever.

"**_JOIN US_**."

"_No"_

The sensation reminded Shirou of the fire, where for the first time he could feel the presence of Death creeping closer. He shook violently despite the protesting pain. With anger, he managed to muster enough strength in his feeble limbs to push the predator away. But that was all. Using every ounces of remaining energy, he only quickened his death. The predator, who was tired of the surprises its current victim had in store, leaped up and pounced on him with its claws.

"**_JOIN US_**."

"_Not a damned chance."_

The moment lasted an eternity for Shirou. The claws, lighting fast to normal eyes, moved painfully slow toward him.

There was no fear. The instinctive fear was overridden by searing anger that wasn't directed at the demon but at his own incompetence.

"**_JOIN US_**."

"_I said NO WAY IN HELL!"_

Shirou felt his emotion reached its peak as the talon darted to his chest. Anger made his whole body boil with a flaming sensation normally induced during his magic practice, but now being forcibly dragged out by rage. Like when he performed the suicide charge at the predator, his fear was forgotten, replaced with pure desire to stay alive.

Shirou felt a switch flipped in his head, opening a floodgate to a huge magic reserve that he didn't know could actually exist within him. Following a huge upsurge, a massive amount of energy flooded his whole body with intense heat, as if his blood was turned into molten steel. His severed flesh was mended by the boiling flow, as if joining bits of iron rings together to form a plate of armor. The liquid steel flowed into his left hand and in a split second of agonizing pain…

All he saw was white.

**Tohsaka Residence – Living Room (8.15 PM)**

Archer struggled with his battered body down the stairs for the second time thatday, while making a mental note to avoid certain sensitive subjects concerning his Master, which he'd been regrettably unaware of. For some reason she made him feel a sense of nostalgia that provoked his playful side but, regrettably, they often contributed to his injury.

"Today's lesson: don't just focus on her feet and keep another eye on her fists," Archer said to himself. He wondered at the mystery of how a small-framed girl like Rin managed to house such power when angered.

Despite how he treated her, Archer knew, but would never openly admit, the real potential of his master. There was little doubt that in comparison with others, Rin would rank among the top. However, this fact which might elate other Servants, hadn't produced the same effect for Archer, due to his purpose for joining the war, which was much different from the stereotypical one.

With a grunt, Archer lifted himself off the wall and plopped down on one of the couches, appreciating the moment of peace after his clash with Lancer. Although the face-off ended in a draw he managed to obtain some crucial information about the enemy servant at a fairly cheap price. Lancer would no longer pose as an obstacle.

Once again, Archer reminded himself of the goal he intended to accomplish by entering this war. Sure, he said to Rin that he lost his memory over the course of summoning ritual but it merely was to keep her from probing into other matters that he wished to conceal. However, at the same time, it also wasn't far from the truth either, since only things that he remembered were, much to his relief, his combat ability and a few of the crucial events that caused him to have his purpose for joining the war. It wasn't exactly urgent for him to regain his memory as long as he has a goal but it was certainly nagging him that most of his life experiences were non-existent.

A high-pitch alarm warned Archer of a breach in the vicinity of the house. Cursing who ever had attempted such a foolish attack just after his duel with Lancer, Archer readied himself for a fight. However even before he could get up from the couch, the intruder had already breached the impregnable barrier that covered the entire length of manor as if it was a tattered piece of paper.

Although, as a heroic spirit, he was well trained to keep his emotion in check, this was one of the few occasions that he was genuinely dumbstruck by the otherworldly strength of the passing magical energy. While Archer was too surprised to collect his thoughts the energy had already passed the house by, leaving the occupants alone to continue its journey across the town.

Loud crashes and footsteps from the upper level came thudding down the stair. There was no doubt that Rin would have sense that energy. To be more precise, everyone who had the slightest ability for magic in the whole city would be able to, including half a dozen masters hidden inside different parts of the town.

With nostalgia that bloomed from the fleeting wave of magic energy, there was no need for him to question the identity of this Master, who failed at the foremost principle of the war to keep a low profile.

Archer sprang from the comforting softness at his back to prepare for another trek across the city. There was little doubt that a person of action like his master would demand an immediate investigation of the sources of the disturbance. Not that he minded, of course. On the contrary, this provided him with a chance to be one step closer toward him goal. Archer's enhanced sight followed the sense of nostalgia to its first target, a traditional Japanese house on the other side of the town.

**Fuyuki City, Emiya Residence (8.11 PM)**

A storm of light was raging in the shed.

The earlier realm of death and decay dematerialized on contact with the light, originated from a newly formed magic circle underneath Shirou. With sheer power, it quickly overpowered the vile presence that only moments earlier had held dominance in here. Naturally, the confinement of the shed was barely enough to contain it, resulting in massive leakage of magical energy that flew out of the shed in every direction.

Scorching every single part of its body, the predator screeched in pain under the storm of light that led to destruction of its grotesque sanctuary. It retreated some distance away from the epicenter of the light. A wise decision made with a combination of uncanny luck and instinct, the retreat gave it just enough time to block the invisible blow of a figure that was shot at it like an arrow from the center of the magic circle. With its injury, the predator stood no chance and was easily blown away by the impact.

The newly emerged figure didn't waste this chance. Her weapon readied and swung overhead at the predator, who suddenly found its position had fallen into that of her prey. With its balance lost from the impact of the last blow, the outcome of the short match was decided, even in the eyes of amateur like Shirou. It was neither possible for the demon to dodge nor block the blow, which was flying toward its target with stronger force than the previous one.

The blade cleanly sliced through its pale flesh, effectively severing its head amidst the mess of blood and organs. The demon that used to be in a figure of a man was now reduced to two chunks of meat that fell on the ground with a thump. Its blood, pitch black, flowed in tiny rivulets that formed a shallow pool on the ground.

The light started to fade. But along with its disappearance, every speck of evil in the shed was so completely purged to the extent that not even a scab of flesh and splotch of blood were left on the floor.

_Good, at least I don't have to explain to Fuji-nee and Sakura about what happened in here,_ Shirou thought soberly. But this relief of his was short lived, as a quick observation of his mysterious helper dealt a harsh blow to his pride and guilty conscience.

Despite being the victor of this confrontation, the girl who emerged from the magic circle was reduced to a state not much different from that of her foe. Her blood was being drained out in a constant rhythm with her heartbeat, mixing crimson into the pool of black below.

Although Shirou lacked the faintest idea of her identity and motive, he was sure that he couldn't let this person succumb to the injury that she'd sustained to protect him. With this thought in mind, Shirou started scrambling for the first aid kit he knew was somewhere within the shed. However, before he had the chance complete this thought, she turned to face him. The trace of pain entirely disappeared from her face.

There were still trails of blood that marred the elegance of her armor and dress but the wound had disappeared completely. The only indication of her earlier injury was a small opening in her chest armor just below her collarbone.

_A Goddess just appeared before me, _Shirou thought as his gaze moved upward. Her fair complexion made it seemed as if her face was carved out of the finest marble, with such unearthly skilled that transformed her into this enchanting masterpiece.

Their gazes soon met in the moment of observation of one another. His eyes, golden brown, locked with hers, emerald green, a bright jewel in this dark room. For a moment, time stood still around him, being lost in her eyes that blazed so brightly with determination.

"I'm Servant Saber, standing here by your summon." Her strong words snapped Shirou out of his stupor. A strong wind rushed through the shed, a wind that washed away every tiny speck of remaining evil. The pale moonlight that was earlier enhancing the horror of the grotesque room had transformed into a brightness that added a mystical quality to the scene before him.

"I ask of you. Are you my Master?" she inquired in a valiant voice.

However Shirou could not bring himself to utter a word in response, fearing that his modest reply will break the unreal nature of the scene before him. For a moment, everything else no longer mattered: her mysterious appearance, the fighting that took place earlier, the meaning of the word she said, none of which had weight in his mind that was captivated by this otherworldly sight.

A shadow crept in the backside of the shed, hidden under of its demise. They were naïve. Such wound was not enough to kill it, however in the current state the possibility of completing its mission was nonexistent. The predator-turned-prey had no choice but to silently accept its defeat for the time being.

With another Servant in the picture, the target would be significantly less vulnerable to future assassination attempts; however, taking another chance after complete recovery would prove to be a wiser choice. The demon discretely collected its severed head and lifted its limping right arm to draw a fiery red portal in the air, into which it entered in before either of its targets noticed.

**Deserted street 48 km from Fuyuki City (8:25 PM)**

The cold highway laid waste under the moonlight that revealed the trail of its destruction. Cracked ground and broken steel fences could be observed in various places but the most eye-catching of all was a gaping hole in the middle of the road in which a figure emerged victorious.

"Victory." Samael climbed out of the hole, dragging along his fallen opponent.

"It is, but quite a messy one." Abel sat on the steel fence, shaking his head in objection of the show his partner put on the road. "Luckily, there's no one here at the moment but if you use that anywhere else it will attract far too much attention."

"Apology, it had been too long since I enter a battlefield." Samael seemed a little embarrassed at his lack of self-control in the fight. "Now it seems to be the time to finish up, shall we?"

In contrast to his claim, Samael's hand descended gently to the victim's head. The move resulted only in confusion, at least until the familiar let out a blood curling scream of terror from its lips.

Flesh began to rot. Bones began to crumble. Letting out the last of its unearthly shriek, the familiar dropped down and dissipated into fragment of mana.

"Ashes to ashes, dust to dust," Samael muttered. His eyes betrayed neither guilt nor remorse for this violent act as he whipped out his cell phone to report the incident. "Abel, if you please…"

"Yup, I'm on it." Abel sprung down from the railing and approached Samael to take a closer inspection of his injury.

Deeming it fairly severe, he removed a blunt object from its holster, normally shielded from view under his priest robe. A ray of light emerged from its tip and gulfed. After a few seconds, Samael emerged woundless.

Abel then turned his attention to the crater that was bored into the middle of the road by the earlier battle. After a quick look to judge its size, he fiddled with the tool for a split second. Satisfied with his adjustment, he click the object lightly as a stream of white translucent material burst forth, flooded down, and gradually molded itself to conceal the trail of destruction. "Well, now that it's done, no car should fall in until morning. Hopefully, someone will come to fix it before then…. so what now?"

"We'll travel on foot." Samael, who'd just finished giving the location of the incident, was gathering up the remains of their bags from the burnt wreck. To his delight, they were only slightly damaged.

"Hitchhiking?"

"That option is an unlikely one as we don't exactly have the luxury of waiting for a car to pass by," Samael replied. "The police will show up any moment and, preferably, neither of us should be taken into their custody. We should avoid having Benedetti's enraged face as the first thing to see at the Fiumicino."

Samael flung three traveling bags onto his shoulders and gestured Abel towards the city. Just as Abel reached for the last one, Samael snatched it away and added the fourth bag to his shoulder.

"Move, time is of the essence," Samael said in a commanding tone.

"Yes, yes Master," Abel replied. His voice dripped with sarcasm but in a light, teasing manner. "Sometimes your actions really do make me wonder which one of us is the Master and which one is the Servant."

"Stop standing idle and move. We can converse along the way, if that is what you wish." said Samael in a Master-like tone in response to Abel's sarcasm and took off as soon as he finished his sentence, with the four bags dangling about with every step.

Abel shifted an incredulous glance between his partner and the distant source of flickering lights, which luckily was in visible range. His mind had already accepted the rationale behind his partner's decision but the distance of fifty or more kilometer in front of him wasn't something easy to cover. Resigning himself to the inevitability of the situation, he started to follow his partner's mechanical steps on the road with a rapid stride of his own.


	3. The Heroic Duel

Thanks to every reviewers. I grateful for every comments, suggestions, and opinion that you gave me.

Enjoy the third chapter.

* * *

**Chapter 3: The Heroic Duel**

**Fuyuki City, Emiya Residence (8:30 PM) **

Tohsaka Rin couldn't believe the vision that was perceived by her eyes. Amidst the erupting stream of blood, Archer was defeated by the blue knight hidden under a small gush of whirlwind that soared out of the house. Just one simple stroke of her sword forced Rin to dematerialize Archer into his spirit form to prevent his certain demise. Yet that decision proved to be a fatal one, as the enemy servant's abnormally strong magic resistance left her defenseless.

"Your magic was impressive, magus. Unfortunately, they have no effect on me." She spoke with an air of grace and nobility. The blue knight was standing above her, seemingly weaponless, but Rin won't be fooled twice. There was something in her hand that she used to slash Archer and soon Rin herself would fall to it.

As unlikely as it seemed, under the bright shining moon, beautiful was the only word Rin could describe the being before her. It doesn't matter if the knight was going to kill her, such pure beauty cannot be diminished. The graceful figure of a girl, illuminated under the moonlight, with arms rose to deal a finishing blow to her fallen opponent.

Rin felt no grudge against her soon to be killer, only regret that she couldn't manage to survive the war. As the weapon came crashing down, Rin closed her eyes and braced her self for the coming moment of pain. It never came.

"SABER STOP"

An upsurge of magic signified the usage of command spell. If her easy victory at the hand of this servant was surprising, then what's happening before her was a miracle. Rin could barely believe that there would be any Master in the world stupid enough to sacrifice their most precious trump card to save a fallen enemy.

The sword stopped short in midair as if it hit an invisible wall. Saber, who was startled by such action, turned her back to Rin to glare at her approaching Master. She was obviously dissatisfied with his action, however her pledge to him as a knight was preventing her from chastising him openly.

The sight of approaching Master piqued Rin's interest. After all they weren't many Masters in this war or the any previously war for that matter, who would do such a thing, although she wasn't sure if it was for the better or worse that this Master decided to spare her.

Rin was hoping for a chivalrous gentleman who refuses to kill fallen opponent, but her knowledge of the war was saying otherwise. Holy Grail War was not something you fight with chivalry. As history had proved it, the key to winning the war was to simply abandon one's moral code in favor of more atrocious but far more effective actions, thus more often than not the War left only the ruthless to claim the prize.

As she had read from the record of the previous wars, the only reason that the victor would spares the loser's life was that the other participant must be of some use to him in one way or the other, which often left the loser wishing they were killed in the first place.

Rin only heard the stories of those poor souls but none of the fate that awaits them, which range from torture to insanity, seemed appealing to her. Her imagination was running wild. Scrolling through every possible scenario before it was interrupted by an argument between Saber, whose composure had been lost, and her Master.

It wasn't the strange nature of the argument that managed to gain her interest but the identity Saber Master. She recognized him at once with a glimpse of his auburn hair and golden eyes, while he was openly argued with his Servant. Rin's calculative mind was set into motion, where it concocted a plan with pieces of information that was assembled together like pieces of jigsaw. She lifted herself up and started toward the bickering pair. _Perhaps there will be a chance to get out of this mess unharmed after all. _

**Germany, Einzbern Castle (2.24 AM) **

A blizzard raged outside the ancient blocks of stone that formed the outer wall of Einzbern castle. Surrounded by cold castle wall was a small room invisible from outside and nearly unnoticeable from inside. Lighting was dim in this secret area of the castle for the only source of brightness came from few weak flames atop candle stands that stood on each of the 4 corners. The room was not spacious but it was by no means cramped, containing as much space as possible without revealing its existence to outsider.

There was enough space for a long table, series of complimenting wooden chairs, and three occupants. Among the three, two were old and one of them looked clearly enraged. At the other end of the table sat a young man, who in contrast to both older men wore much more modern clothing. Like all Einzberns do he possessed red eyes and white hair, even at the age of 19, which was cut to a medium length.

"Don't be too sure of yourself, youngling. Any more insolence toward the elder and you'll be nothing but worm foods" The speaker, white haired middle aged man with thick beard, slammed both his hands on the table as if to emphasize his point. However the show of aggression only served to reveal his insecurity about of being around the young man at the other end of the table.

"And what are you going to do old man, kill me? You know you shouldn't overestimate that crippled meat sack too far." The young man sneered at the earlier speaker with out any slightest trace of remorse for his earlier action.

"Why you little piece of ..." It was as obvious as day that a brawl was about to break out as the tension in the room increase with his rage. Both men were rose up from their respective seat and was about to reach down to their weapon when…

"ENOUGH" A cold steely voice boomed from the other end of the table, where an ancient wizened shell of a man sat. It was devoid of any compassion, a quality which rendered his voice inhumane. However the authority that it contained forced both men to a sudden halt and grudgingly returned to their seat.

"Tch. Be grateful kid, the elder just saved your hide," spat the man venomously.

"Look who's being ungrateful here. Couldn't you tell that it was yours that the geezer saved?"

"That's it." The man reached down for his rapier, when a shockwave knocked him down on the cold stone floor. His rapier fell and slid away from his side. A hand, dried and wizened by age, was lifted at eye level. It was flashing yellowish glow which signifies the use of magic from the owner of the hand.

"But, why?" The fallen man expressed genuine confusion at the fact that the elder just attacked him.

"Enough. It is crucial that he must not die for our plan to succeed." The elder barked out his verdict to break the childish yet lethal quarrel. "And you, Johann, by saying that you must not die doesn't mean your disrespect will go unpunished. I'm sure the torturer will enjoy a meeting with you."

"Are you serious? You know I'm a very sensitive man I might just bit my tongue and bleed to death when I can't withstand the pain." The man, Johann, replied in a fake hurt tone that contained no genuineness whatsoever.

"No you won't, your pride won't allow you so." Even with the threat left hanging in the air, the elder's voice remained unfazed. "What I need from you is just a simple yes or no. Will you do it?"

"Why is there a need to ask when we all know that refusal means death."

"Yes or no, Johann."

"Yes, yes, alright. A tough decision, though. You know how I hate babysitting."

"It doesn't matter. Your job is to ensure her safety until the end of the war. Use whatever means necessary to achieve this."

"And after that?" Johann asked.

"After that she is not of use to us. You may dispose her as you see fit." Even when discussing such matter monotonous voice of the elder remained indifferent, revealing the his immunity to the horror of death.

"Aww. I'm sure she's going to be so sad to have such a cruel grandfather"

"Silence, a hatchling like you has no right to criticize the…" The middle age man spoke up for the first tine after regaining his composure. However a sharp look from the elder effectively silenced him, not wanting to risk being thrown through the wall after a single collision proved to be too soft to shut him up.

"I'll be going now. It won't be good if anyone kill her before me is it?" Johann nonchalantly walked toward the exit in total disregard his two older relative. With a soft creak, the door slid opened and let Johann emerged out of the outer large spiral staircase that was brightly lid by torches that lined its wall. With another creak, the door closed shut and melted in the wall, leaving no trace of the entrance into the secret room. A short trek down the stair led him to a room that served to connect this ancient remnant of the Einzbern's power with the outside world.

Leaning beside the staircase was a man sharply dressed in blood red aristocratic garment. He was in his mid twenties with refined face, black moustache, and long braided hair. Despite his humanoid frame, the unnaturally pale skin with slightly pointed ears and sharp canine hinted his nonhuman nature.

"Stop lazing around and move. We've got our order." In response to Johann's word the man reached out with his arm and caught Johann in a steel-like grip.

"Remember your place. A mere human like you has no right to command me." The aristocrat fiercely growled at Johann who seemed unfazed by this response. He did deliberately enjoy provoking his Servant whom attachment to his old life cause him to only know how to give order not to follow them

"Really? I think I have every right to do so." Despite the increasing pressure on his neck that would make normal person suffocate, Johann replied to his Servant in his usual laidback manner that contained a natural mocking tone. "I think the one that has to remember his place is you. You are my Servant not the other way around." To emphasize his point, the command spell flashed warningly. That action alone was enough to make his Servant released his grip on Johann's neck, not wanting to lose the command spell for such a petty reason.

"When all of this is over, I will enjoy feasting on you." The aristocrat seemed to put down the issue of challenging his Master's authority for the time being. However not without much malice and menacing threat that was left hanging in the air.

"But until then learn to follow my order, Your Highness." Johann's voice dripped with sarcasm at this fake respect. Johann disdained his own Servant for how much he reminds him of the elder: cunning, manipulative, and always think that everyone has to follow his order. There was nothing that would please him more than proving to these people that they don't actually hold as much power as they thought.

"Anyway, We are heading to a small country called Japan in the Eastern Sea. More specifically to a place called Fuyuki City, a stage for the last Holy Grail War." Johann briefed and strode to a stop in front of a door that looked miniscule on comparison the fortress gate on its left. "And I expect you to lay low until we reach our destination."

"Tch. And once we are there?" The aristocrat swallowed his pride to follow Johann, however it was as clear as day that the arrangement was only for temporary.

"Then you may do as you please." Johann push open the a small side door to the left of a massive fortress gate, which no longer had any real use after the mechanism to lower the gate broke down years ago.

"Good, the cold is making me hungry for some fresh meat." The Servant licked his lips in anticipation for what lies after his journey and followed his Master. It wasn't long before both men disappeared from view shrouded by layers after layers of white under the blizzard's fury.

**Front of Kotomine Church (10.25 PM) **

Saber was silently contemplating on the she information she received after being summoned to join the Holy Grail War in this era. In each war, she often wondered what kind of person will be her Master, but never once did she expect to be summoned in the exactly same place as Servant of her late Master's only son. Saber suspected the connection between the two the moment she heard the surname Emiya, before it was soon confirmed by the man himself.

As of the current, Shirou was being briefed about the war by the supervisor along with Rin who offered to take him there, while Saber volunteered to stay outside and keep watch. However staying on watch was only an excuse for her to avoid going into the church. Not that she ever had any issue with the religion. After all as a knight, religion is always something that plays a big part in her life. The issue that she had lies not with the religion but rather a specific person within this church, Kotomine Kirei, a former Master in the last war.

A creak at the door warned Saber of her Master departure from the church. He seemed perturb as he shakily stepped out of the chapel. She coudln't blame him though. Hearing about a bloody clash between Heroic Spirits in a fight for supremacy is not something that normal people in their right mind can easily accept.

At least she was relieved by the fact that in his hand the trace of the command spell was evident, although she wasn't please as to how he left his command spell in the open for every to see. _I must warn him to be more careful in the future. _

"Shirou, are you alright?" Saber ran toward her wobbly Master to give him support, which was not needed as he took only a moment to recover from his condition after being helped out of the chapel by Rin. Truthfully, Saber still wasn't sure if it was a good idea to trust the other Master so much. However it was for the best seeing how ignorant Shirou was of the war.

"I'm fine." Shirou spoke with a trace of fatigue in his voice. The events that happens only few hours ago was taking its toll on him, nearly getting killed by a Servant and learning the existence of the war are something too heavy to experience in a few hours of time. "It's late. Let's just go home."

"I suppose I'll accompany you until then." Rin walked along side them while maintaining a certain distance clearly made her position clear to both party. However both women seemed to share one thing in common, their dislike for Kotomine Kirei. Apparently Rin seemed to be grumpier after their meeting with Kirei, although the anger was quite hard to spot since she was already quite annoyed at the fact that an amateur magus stole her summoning target.

The trio continued in the walk silence, none of them were willing talk and accidentally revealed something that the potential opponent may be able to use against them. In the midst of the night was the only things that break the silence were rhythmic clanging of Saber's greaves and tapping of Shirou and Rin's shoes on the pavement. The pattern continued for half the city that they made their way through. With a relatively peaceful yet suffocating trek, the group proceeded to an intersection.

"Emiya-kun, it's time for us to part. My house is this way." Rin stop in the middle of the intersection, while pointing her finger up the hill to the side opposite of Emiya house that led to rows of western manors inherited by old riches. "Remember the next that we meet we are enemy."

"Thanks for everything Tohsaka. You really are a good person." Shirou gave his reply with an unexpected smile, thankful for the knowledge she'd given him.

"Fl-att-ering wi-ll gets you no where. You hear?" Unused to such blunt expression of feeling, Rin answered to Shirou in a stutter. It was unexpected that someone would talk to his future enemy in this manner. It was either that Emiya Shirou was innocent optimist or an oblivious idiot or, perhaps, both. "Anyway Emiya-kun, when you summoned Saber did you feels some kind of….."

"Good evening, everyone." A childish voice interrupted Rin in the middle of her sentence. The voice snapped the trio's attention to a small figure on top of moonlit hill, where a petite white hair girl stood smiling brightly. Despite the smile, there was a certain quality about the voice that made sent a chill down its listeners' spine.

"I believe this is the first time we've met. My name is Illyasviel Von Einzbern." None of the group could focus to the girl curtsying for their utmost attention was seized by a huge axe wielding monster beside her. The two Master was truly shakened by the beast in front of them, while Saber only assumed her combat stance.

"Einzbern." Rin repeated what the girl said. The implication that the name of long line of Magi who set their eyes upon the grail carried was grasped fairly quick by Saber and her.

"You finished talking right? Then I will kill you now." The girl's sing-song voice has a sharp contrast to the real message that it carried. It was beyond believe that such an delicate looking creature can utter such a vile word. "Go, Berserker!"

At the end of her call the massive warrior leapt up with a speed impossible for a man of his stature to possess. He appeared before the trio in an instant, as the massive stone axe dropped down like a lighting only to be blocked by Saber's invisible blade. However the different in their strength was clear, the axe wasn't completely blocked and forced Saber to avoid fully exposing herself to his sheer brute force by leaping back. Although the blow was unable to deal any damage, the impact that it contain was more than enough to knock her backward further than what she intended to. Saber's grip on her sword tightened. She would have to give her all if she wished to win.

At the same moment as Saber was exchanging blows with Berserker, Shirou was watching the battle in awe. Against his better judgment his legs refused to move and his eyes refused to tear away from the battlefield where trails of destruction were carelessly carved on the ground. Amidst the gashes, dents, and holes in the street and nearby wall danced a lone knight, dodging blows after blows unleashed by the giant with inhumane grace and agility. _Just what have I gotten myself into?_

**Front of Fuyuki City (10.58 PM)**

"Huff, huff, huff. The distance was greater than what I thought it to be." Abel was out of breath before the rows of buildings marked the start of the area of Fuyuki City. A long run from the road was taking its toll on him with severe short of breath.

"Let's call it off for the night. The work can wait till tomorrow." Samael[1], who was standing beside him, spoke in an even voice. His only minor trace of fatigue was shown by a slightly slumped posture.

"Didn't you say you said that we need to hurry, so we have to run all the way here?" Abel asked, irritated.

"That was to get away before polices come. Now that we are here, we should thoroughly plan for the way to approach our target. Can't have him escape from us now can we?" Samael turned his head and scanned the city.

"True enough and I'm dead set against doing any more work or my body is going on strike." Abel sighed, partly irritated, partly relief at the prospect of resting for the night.

"Let's find somewhere to rest. Anywhere with a roof and good escape route would be good." Samael was starting to head to the nearest building for direction, alas it was already close. "You are going to need that at least. It seems the summoning ritual still messing you up a great deal."

"Either that or I was getting soft. I haven't train much for quite sometime now." So Abel said but it was undeniable that even if it was a few weeks after the ritual, his limbs still lack the fire that usually burn in them. "Anyway, I should check for disturbances in mana flow[2] before I retire for the night. It won't be pretty if there is any more fighting tonight, especially if any is heading our way."

"Wait till we have secured space first. It will be even worse if an enemy decided to attack us at that moment." For a moment Samael stopped in his track and seemed quite lost about direction, while Abel was weighing his option beside a nearby taxi whether to wait for a miniscule percentage of transportation that prowled the night.

"It seemed our target will have to wait till tomorrow." Abel sighed again both at his partner's ineptness to find his way around the city and the apparent lack of comfortable transportation. He nudged Samael as a sign that he was taking control of navigation and started to swiftly make his way around the street, despite the protesting aches in his heels and lower leg.

"It will certainly make our job much easier if he live in Italy doesn't he? Then again why does he have to live so damned far from the Vatican anyway?" Samael asked.

"Perhaps it is Kiritsugu's idea to keep him away from any major organization involve with magic, after all it's his only change of living a normal life." Abel replied, before guilty conscience made a little quiver in his voice for what he had to say afterward. "What will happen to him is truly unfortunate but there are no other option considering how powerful his latent ability is."

"Sacrifices have to be made for the sake of greater good. Some may be demanded from more than the other but in the end we all have to pay the price." Samael stated flatly as if to criticize momentary falter in Abel's resolve. "Just for the sake of knowing, how powerful is he?"

"He should not be that powerful. His peaceful life would have left the ability in a dormant state unless it is triggered by powerful external force, which is unlikely."

"But if he does?"

"Well, Samael, the only thing that I can say is that if it happens humanity just took one step closer to their doom."

**Fuyuki City (11.00 PM) **

A battle raged on in street of the otherwise silent city with a whirlwind of slashes from the mad giant obliterating all that it touched. Alas it was incapable to connect to its real target. The blue knight was dancing among the destroyed debris, dangerously dodging the blow from the mad Servant, since blocking it simply was dropped out of her option after a failed attempt earlier. It wasn't as if Saber couldn't block his blow but because of their vast difference in strength, doing so required too much magic energy to propel her sword than what she could spare.

She initially planned to use a common approach in dealing with wielder of heavy weapon, dodge and counter, however her plan still seemed to have been fruitless. As all heavy weapons do, a sacrifice in speed is required as an exchange for their immense power, which normally would increase the interval between each of their blow and allow time for counter attack. Or at least that's how it should have been.

Berserker gave no such privilege to his opponent. With his strength, the delay time between each blow was practically nonexistent, allowing no opportunity for counter attack to his maelstrom of slashes. All that Saber could do at the moment was to dodge his endless onslaught using her superior agility_. A chance will come_ that was what she told herself and decided to remain defensive. Her judgment wasn't far from perfect. The last of the Berserker's blow had been poor-aimed and the giant axe sword was embedded in the concrete floor as a result. Although Berserker was fast in extracting his own sword, Saber was much faster. In an instant she dashed past his defense, used his sword as a ledge to leap up, and unleashed a fierce swing of her sword on his unprotected neck. However the only thing that Saber could feel from her well-aimed decisive blow was a bone-breaking impact that ran through her arms and fingers the moment she struck him. The blow seemed to damage him even less than her aching fingers.

Seeing that her opponent resumed his attack position, Saber was about to pull a quick retreat. However, with a head start, the slash managed to catch her before she moved away. The blunt side of the stone axe landed a direct hit on her midsection. Its impact alone sent her flying a few meters backward, and totaled her chest armor and a few ribs. Although in a sense she was considerably lucky for if it was the opposite side that hit her, she would have been cleaved into two. Still, the blow dealt too much damage for her to be able to stand upright. Saber balanced herself up with the no longer invisible sword as a faint outline could now be trace from her blood that painted it partially red. Ignoring the growing pain in her side, she managed to squeeze out a short message.

"Master, please run away."

Berserker hoisted his gigantic weapon high and ready for the final blow. A sharp disappointment assailed Saber from the realization that she couldn't dodge it. Her only consolation came from the knowledge that her effort did stall sometime for Shirou's escape. Saber was watching the line of razor sharp edge that was falling on her, when she felt her body was being pulled backward out of the reach of the blow. However Shirou, with his reckless stunt, was now standing in her earlier spot, where Berserker was unleashing all of his fury.

_CLANG!_

"ARGGGGG."

The result was to be expected, Emiya Shirou flew across the street to be embedded in the harsh embrace of a concrete wall. However, among their astonishment, an unexpected noise of steely impact resounded the moment of collision. Although the difference in their weight had led to his outcome, a breaking sound warned Berserker that his sword was shattering.

Perhaps it was his imagination but it couldn't have been so, his broken sword was enough testimony of that. In the moment of collision Berserker saw his sword being chipped mercilessly by lines after line of serrated metals that covered every inch of the young man's torso as the person in question was sent to the air with his sheer strength. Whatever happened in that instant, the result was clear that both parties receive quite a significant damage from this blow, the sword and Shirou alike.

"What's going on? What are you doing Berserker?" Illya clearly voiced out her dissatisfaction with the current situation, since Shirou's survival from the blow was indicated by a series of painful coughs that escape his bloodied mouth. She was walking toward him in anger, before she was pulled forward by the warrior's massive hand.

A line of light cut through the air soundlessly and embedded itself in the spot where the girl was earlier, leaving only a hilt and pommel of a blood red sword to be seen sticking out of the ground. A trail of blood seeped from Berserker's arm, cut by the sword-like arrow.

Miles away on top of a building, a white haired archer was clucking his tongue in annoyance and was getting his second arrow ready, however it wasn't needed.

Berserker lifted the little girl back in his arm. To persist on fighting in this situation would be too much of a risk, the odds that stacked against them was starting to make her felt uneasy. In addition from Archer's sniping, Saber was starting to recover from her wound, and most of all Berserker's sword was broken. "I'm not in the mood anymore. I suppose I will let you go for today."

"Wait Berserker's Master. Are you running away?" Saber temper flared at this action which undermined her knightly honor. Being spared by her enemy is one of the ultimate dishonored as a knight. However before she could continue her assault, Illya's voice brought her to a halt.

"I don't think that is a good idea Saber. After all don't you have your Master to attend to?" The girl's voice was nonchalant and yet Saber felt as if she was slapped by the cold hard fact. Deciding that her Master's safety took priority in this situation, she spun on her heel and rush to him. By the time she arrived, Rin was already beside Shirouwith a dumbfounded expression on her face.

"This… Just how in the world?" Rin breathed out her disbelief. Saber, too, was left stupefied by the sight that she otherwise would never think is possible for human to accomplish.

Seeing that Saber headed back to her injured Master, the giant continued his trek with the little girl on his shoulder. If Berserker only had his sanity remained at the moment then the question that will be running in his mind is "Just what in the world is that man?" For the strength of magic that was capable of breaking his phantasm must be exceedingly strong indeed. Alas it will have to go unanswered for the time being. With Illya on his shoulder, Berserker trudged on ceaselessly and disappeared into the deepening darkness of the surrounding neighborhood.

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[1] Samael - Angel of Death in Jewish Lore, his name means Venom of God. He was regarded as both good and evil in various writings.

[2] Mana Flow - The natural flow of magic energy that is created by the world itself. Disturbances in the flow are produced when magic user draw upon them as extra source of energy, although most of them are too small to be sensed by normal magus.

There it is chapter 3. Thank God for the holiday that give me time to complete this chapter.

Anyway, if it's not too much of a hassle, please leave a review. I want to hear what people think of it so far.


	4. The Fatal Coincidence

There's seems to be a mixed opinion about the pairing so far. As of current, I'm starting to lean toward ShirouxSaber but I'm still open to suggestions. I'll try to finalize the pairing by the next chapter.

* * *

**Chapter 4: The Fatal Coincidence**

**Emiya Residence (14.46 PM)**

In a lightly illuminated room, Saber sat watching over her bedridden Master. She had remained in this position for half a day and would continue as she decided that keeping watch of her slumbering Master was a better way to spend her time than drifting back and forth between realm of sleep and wake.

After the last night's event embedded a disturbing topic involving her Master's survival into her mind, Saber foudn that sleep was barely within her grasp. She 'd never thought any amateur magus could survive such a power. Truthfully, she also wasn't sure if she could. For her, the situation last night boiled down into 2 big questions _how did he survive _and _why did he protect her_.

Once again, Saber reexamined her sleeping Master for the possible reason for his unfathomable action. Although Saber had joined many instances of the Holy Grail War in the past and was summoned to many different Masters, it goes with out saying that Shirou was undeniably the most peculiar among the ones she'd been summoned to.

Not only because of the sight that she saw last night but mainly because of his one-of-a-kind way of thinking that compelled him to commit one of the most recklessly suicidal action in the whole history of the war. Yet it wasn't too hard for Saber to comprehend the basis for it, since she could clearly saw the shadow of her former self living within Emiya Shirou, although on a much more subtle level. However Saber's one and only purpose for entering this war was to win, thus the issue of Shirou's suicidal action that jeopardize her change of winning had to be resolved at the first moment possible.

There was also issue of the manner in which Shirou survived from being totally exposed to full fury of Berserker's blow. She remembered the clanging noise and the unearthly feat of breaking Berserker's weapon with his bare body. _He must have used some kind of spell _was what she initially thought but the vision she witnessed the moment she laid an eye amidst the rabbles, blood, and steel of his battered body convinced her otherwise.

The revelation last night started to make her doubt her Master's status as a human. Yet it was undoubtedly to that unnatural phenomenon that he still remained intact; otherwise, as all other human would, only a pulp of him would be left.

"Urghh"

Shirou stirred with a groan. For a moment it seemed as if he was about to get up, however the after-effect of the miraculous survival seemed to win out and left him back to the serene state. Still, with such minor injuries it won't be long before he regains consciousness.

As much as she hated to trouble his mind with such an issue after such a hectic night, it was a necessary action for victory. Saber had carefully prepared her word of admonition, if her Master was truly similar to her past self then much effort will have to be put to break his stubborn belief. However it was all for the best, both for her sake and, later on, his.

Saber rose up to get Rin, who ended up staying the night after she helped her carrying Shirou's half dead body back to the house. Last morning Rin asked Saber to notify her the moment that Shirou regained his sense.

Although Saber had no obligation toward Rin, the event last night put her indebted from being aided by Archer in the last battle, a debt which she intended to repay at the first moment possible. Still, As far as her pride goes, Saber won't allow any stranger to just examine her Master but in Rin's case, Saber had faith in her instinct that was telling her to trust this woman.

Also, Rin came up with a very tempting offer that if all goes well will significantly increase the chance of victory for both parties. Saber wasn't about to let the offer fly by, even if her price for it was inspection of the magic that led to Shirou's survival.

The knowledge would render the ability useless in the face of Rin's pair but Saber was fairly confident that there was no need for worry, as she had no problem bringing Archer and Rin down in the past and she'll do it again when the need arise. The inspection might also give them some information that, at the given circumstance, allows more productive reuse of the ability in the future.

Saber pitied Shirou for having to be used as her bargaining chip but she knew when the time comes he will understand …_probably, if Rin won't hurt him too badly_

**Emiya Residence (16.35 PM)**

_This is an interrogation_

Shirou forced himself to swallow a thick heavy lump in his throat as he struggled to find a satisfactory reply to the inquisitor. A dilemma had presented itself, the inquisitor was demanding an answer which he had none but the look on her was clearly revealed that she won't take I don't know, I don't remember, and other I-don'ts for an answer._ So this is what people in the 16__th__ century felt during witch hunt_.

"Welllll, Emiya-kun, are you in the mood to tell us now?" Rin's sweet voice broke him out of his thought but in the few last minutes he learnt a crucial information that the sweeter she became in appearance the angrier she was in reality.

The moment after he woke, Saber engaged him in a heated argument on the topic of her duty to protect him as a Master and his duty to stay back and leave the fighting to her. However before the issue can be resolved, he was put in this position with out as much time as to wash his face as a very distressed Rin stormed into his room. The worst thing about the argument was that it made Shirou lost the only ally that he had in the face of this endeavor.

Shirou cast a desperate glance at Saber, signaling her for support. The signal went unheard by Saber, who turned her face away with a humph. It seemed she made a point to ignore Shirou's call for help as a way to retaliate all of the trouble that he piled her with during the argument. _Looks like I'm on my own. _

"As I'm telling you Tohsaka, I also don't know what I did. I only know that I tried to protect Saber and everything goes blank." This was how it really was. Shirou's logical thought was already nonfunctioning by the time that he got Saber out of the way, so he had no answer that Tohsaka was dying to get. However if he state the truth with all his sincerity then she would surely believe him….or not.

"And as I told you Emiya-kun, I know that you know how you'd survive from Berserker's blow without any apparent damage. So I'm going to present you with two options a) confess right now or b) I will do a very painful examination of your magic circuit." Rin replied after taking a long sip of tea in her cup. Her face was plastered with a smile that undoubtedly only served to cover up her impatience at his reluctance in answering. "Since neither of us wants you to be disabled during the course of the war, I recommend you to choose wisely."

The room temperature seemed to drop a few degrees, after Rin left her threat hanging in the air. _Since I really couldn't explain what happened, so the only other option that she left me with was…Gulp._

"Umm, Tohsaka-san?" Shirou asked sheepishly, unsure of what Rin will do next. Surely, Rin won't fail to perceive this as a sign of his weakness but there was nothing left to lose.

"Yes? Emiya-kun." Rin's voice was now dripping sweet. _More like dripping with poison_.

"May I answer neither? As I truly can not give a satisfying explanation and I also don't want to be hurt." Shirou realized the absurdity of his reply, as Rin surely will not be please. However as instinct was telling him, he was desperate to get out of this situation that he was willing to bet everything on that faint flicker of hope for Rin's mercy.

"That's not an option, Emiya-kun. Please choose again." In opposition to Rin's smiling demeanor, her true emotion was revealed by the veins that were starting to become visible in her forehead.

The shock left Shirou mouth gaping, as he quickly switched every remaining part of his functioning mind into recalling the memory from last night. The sound, the vision, the smell, the thought that he had during the moment was starting to resurface. He remembered dashing toward Saber who was badly hurt and gets her out of the way but then what? What just happened after that? What was going on?_** How? Why? What? Who? When? **_

"Urghhhh" Shirou's attempt to breakthrough the white haze in his mind to uncover the crucial part of his last night memory was only met with a dull thump of pain. It was more than simply forgetting where tiny bits and shreds of memory can be recall with effort, it was as if the memory never exists in the first place.

"Emiya-kun? What happened? Your face just gone pale all of a sudden," asked Rin in a concerned voice which, unlike earlier, seemed genuine.

"I'm fine. The pain starts to subside, after I saw your funny face."

"What's that suppose to mean?" Annoyed by his teasing, Rin's face no longer shadowed by concern but was now scrunched up in annoyance.

"I said everything literally, so you shouldn't have anything problem interpreting what I mean."

"Then that's fin…no that even worse, YOU BIG IDIOT." Rin smacked Shirou in the head for his teasing, when certain thought cross her head. _Where did I hear that before?_ The pattern of speech sounded familiar to her to the exact word. Maybe someone said it to her before recently.

Although spared from being reprimand, Shirou's eardrum already received enough damage as it is by the impact of her screaming within centimeters away from it. However his teasing seemed work in his favor as it lowered the pressure that was building up the air until that moment. Shirou looked up hopefully that Rin for a while, until she finally gave out with a small sigh.

"Very well, I'll let you off for now. Either you really don't know or really don't want to tell me about it." Although Shirou should be glad that manage to pass through the inquisition unscathed, the lips that was twitching upward in a crooked smile in front him was warning otherwise. "Either case it only means that I'll just simply have to stick around until you remember or is willing to tell me, so let's become ally Emiya-kun"

"What?" Shirou wasn't sure if he heard it correctly for the proposal came as a total surprise. "Didn't you say in this war it's everyone for themselves?"

"I did but the situation had changed." Another mood switch, as Rin's face no longer contains any playfulness being in her business persona. "It will be better for us to cooperate for the time being."

"Is it because of Berserker?" Rin didn't answer but it was explicitly known that Berserker undoubtedly play a significant factor that made her came to this decision. Shirou cast a side way glance at Saber, who was sitting in traditional Japanese style. Although Shirou already made up his mind about his answer, he just wanted to make sure that in goes in accordance with her. "What do you think, Saber?"

"In my opinion, I recommend you to accept, but the ultimate decision is yours to make." Shirou face lightened up at her share of opinion. _So she just gave me green light_.

"So what'll it be, Emiya-kun?" Rin question met with no replies, as Shirou chose another method of answer by stretching his right hand in front of her. The hand was met in the air with Rin's smaller one.

"Glad to be working with you from now on Tohsaka." Shirou replied, while blushing a little when he noticed how soft her hand was to his palm.

"I promise both of us will surely benefit from this mutual relationship."

Despite his reply and despite the fact that he, even at the moment, doesn't regret his decision, the words of the priest whom he met last night out of his head still persistently hovered in the back of his mind.

Flashback

"The war is always fought with lies, secrecy, and every underhanded tricks known to man, such is its nature. Betrayals and backstabbing, too, were the ones that often get on top of the list." With thorough observation of how relaxed Shirou was on his way out of the church with Rin, the heretic priest locked him in place with a tight grip of his hand and whispered. "A piece of advice, **never trust other Masters**. No matter how appealing they may appear, you'll only meet with cold knife in the back once they shed off their cover."

Flashback end

Shirou tried to swallow the doubt that he had from Rin's offer for alliance. He knew in his heart that one day or the other this relationship was doomed to a violent end. The war, after all, only allowed one victor. The only question remained is how long will it last before either of them wake up with a knife in the middle of their back.

_No, it won't happen._ Shirou brushed off his doubt and, without much effort, retracted his mind from the gruesome possibility it was venturing to._ I'm sure there will be a way to end all this peacefully. I'm sure of it. _

**Emiya**** Residence (17.50 PM)**

For the whole afternoon, a strange chill had been creeping up Saber's spine. It made her more vulnerable to provocation, which resulted in her recent quarrel with Shirou when he refused to simply stay in the back and leave fighting to her like all good Masters do. Although now that she had the chance to clearly contemplate her action, she was truly ashamed of her childishness. No matter how unreasonable he was and no matter how edgy she was, giving him silent treatment was nothing but childish.

However Saber's guilt didn't persist long as her instinct was warning her that there was a more urgent matter to attend to. For so long, instinct is one thing that Saber trusted the most in battles aside from her blade and she was sure it wasn't about to fail her now either.

Although she had yet to grasp its cause, she was sure the uneasiness that was growing with every passing moment was a sign for something that she had to find out. With this very reason, Saber had been on her guard ever since the meeting was finished. Feeling paranoiac, Saber stood in front of the house. Hoping to see any sign of disturbances in the neighborhood, only to naturally find none. As time passed by slowly, the chilly winter air started make her doubt the validity of her fear that compelled her to stand in front of the Emiya house like a statue or perhaps like an idiot.

Still, as much as she would like to, detecting other's magic energy was never in her list of expertise. From long since the past she always rather polished her skills in the way of sword than of magic. That decision was coming back to haunt her as she regretted her ignorance to the wizard's attempt to train her somewhat in the field of magic. All she could detect with her current skill level was magic of substantial concentration within her very limited scope.

Saber sighed and watched the argument between her anxiety and reason in deciding whether or not to return to cozy warmth of the house. Finally, her rational mind proved to be a more significant force out as she decided to stay put for the time being and dismiss her feeling as an inaccurate. Checking one last time to confirm that nothing was amiss, she turned 180 degree back toward the house…._Hold on. _

Once again her instinct had proven itself to be a force to be reckoned. Among the slight magic that she felt in the air was a slight catch that suddenly appeared within her detecting range, two sources of magic energy, one insignificantly small even for a Master, the other abnormally huge even for a Servant. Still, they doubtlessly are a pair of participants.

"Saber? What's going on?" said Shirou who came to see what she was up to.

"Shirou, I'm going to be out for a while. Please be on your best guard until I return."

"Wait Sa-." Saber didn't give Shirou the chance to finish his sentence as she disappeared like a gush of wind. For a Servant to deliberately leave their Master's side, no matter the reason, was almost considered as a taboo. However considering Shirou's recklessness and the risk involved, this decision would probably be better than bringing him along to the fight.

Her instinct warned her so to be more careful than usual. The enemy she about to face wasn't normal. Bracing herself with determination, Saber was ready to do anything in her power to prevent them from reaching her Master.

**Small Alley in Fuyuki City (18.07 PM) **

Abel and Samael quickly marched through the empty alley under the shadow cast by walls of two abandoned building lining side by side. They had to hurry. The sun was about to set and its best that they locate their target before nightfall.

"You alright?" After a few more strides, Samael man noticed his partner's unease and threw a questioning glance at him. "Try to relax a bit. We've haven't even meet with our target yet." Samael asked, unfazed by the upcoming ordeal.

"Well, unlike you, I don't have the nerve of steel." In contrast to the calmness in Samael's voice, Abel's was clearly agitated. "The stake of this mission is just so high. I don't want to even think of what will happen if we fail."

"Relax, you can do it." Samael reassured him in a brotherly tone. "Benedetti sent you for a reason. He knows you are not going to fail our expectation."

"Easier said than done." Abel sighed heavily. "Anyway, are you sure it is not too late to leave it until now? Although I didn't feel any disturbances in flow of magic energy since last night, we can not be totally sure that everything is fine."

"The nature of the War is not to be fought into broad daylight but in secrecy of the night. There is little point in taking action bef-." Samael was immediately interrupted by an urgent shout of his partner.

"Look out!" The warning just gave Samael just enough to duck and avoided a certain decapitation by a swoop of steel blade that slashed through the space his head previously occupied.

"It is as you said, thus I must commend you on coming out this early in the evening." The feminine voice and small stature indicated the speaker's gender as female but not without a certain aura of masculinity.

"A woman? Who are you?" Abel blurted.

"Not the time for that." Samael's solid grip momentarily took control of Abel's body and pulled him out of the harm way, before his shoulder won't have anything left to support. He jumped back and dragged Abel along for a few paces to widen the distance from their assailant.

Seeing that her attack failed even with an augmentation of surprise, Saber resumed her stance. Both hands and sword hilt hoisted to eyes level, she was ready for another charge. She won't give either of them a time to recover from surprise of her attack, however it was her turn to be surprise when the bigger of the two men lifted both his hands up with fingers pointed to the sky. If she didn't know any better, Saber would have said that he was about to surrender but, in the war, Saber knew that the gesture must have mean something different.

"What is the meaning of this? Are you surrendering?" Still, in respond to his action, Saber had to lower her arm for a moment. It wasn't as if she couldn't cut him down in that vulnerable posture but doing so means discarding the knight code she swore to live by.

"Not really, what I'm going to suggest is a truce." The man replied with a bright smile, fake no doubt.

"A truce you say? Why?" Saber was skeptical. As her experience had proved it, negotiation rarely found its place within Holy Grail War, unless it housed a deeper intention.

"I don't really want to fight you and I suppose you wouldn't want to waste your strength on us, after all both of us have our own business to attend to." Samael said with a nonchalant voice. "So it should be best for both of us if we pretend we never saw each other and walk away from this fight."

"I refuse." Saber replied sternly. "A battle is inevitable every time Servants meet; such is the rule of the War." A moment of observation let her instinct classified him as an enemy and she was more than willing to treat him as such.

"I see, how unfortunate." Samael replied. In an instant, his lax body tensed up. His eyes showed no emotion, only acceptance of his failure to reach peaceful solution. Samael's eyes on Saber were rigidly fixed, even when a quick signal was given to his partner to flee the area, which he complied and was out of sight a few moments.

Saber mentally sighed. _If only_ _Shirou was willing to run like that Master_, _I won't have half the problems I'm dealing with. _Samael's keen observation was on Saber's every move, ready to launch himself in aggression the moment she set out after his partner.

However to pursue the retreating man was the last thing on Saber's mind for the other in front of her was a much bigger threat. Her instinct honed by years of warfare was warning her in a fight with this opponent. Before the force of her instinct, every kill that a man commits can be detected like a putrid odor that surrounds his body. In this manner, it allows her to quickly and accurately assess her opponents' strength. That ability is exactly what led her here.

Although she faced many death-reeked killers back in her day, this man bested them all by far. With the thick stench of death that he carried, he is undoubtedly the source of her unease in the afternoon. The encounter strengthened her resolve. She was determined to take him down in this fight. Not only for the safety of her comrade but also to lessen the casualty that he will cause to the noncombatant in the future. A person like him wouldn't hesitate to spill innocent blood to reach the grail.

"HOAHHHH." Her thought was soon put to a halt as Samael, who decided to make the first move, let loose his magic energy with a hoarse cry. The ground cracked and the air sizzled in contact with sinister energy that the man released from his sickly pale body. In response, Saber immediately shifted her attention to the upcoming battle.

Saber was frozen as a sudden terror gripped her heart. Fear was not one emotion that often characterized the King of Knight but this was one of the few occasions that it does. The courage that presented itself dutifully before every fight had melted down like a handful of snow before this primal fear.

**The fear of death**, the most powerful emotion that was engraved into the instinctive core of every human, an innate drive so powerful that mercilessly crushed all attempt to ward it off with reason. This same emotion that occurs to all man manifested itself even more strongly inside her who put so much trust into the guidance of instinct that turned rogue in the face of this enemy.

Cold sweat trickled down her back. If death can take human form, Saber had no doubt that the man before her is him. Standing in a face-off with this enemy made her felt like being chained naked amidst a flock of hungry wolves, a feeling that inevitable death was only an inch away. Before she knew it, her lithe frame was slightly trembling. As in response Samael lightly smirked at the sight of his enemy quivering like a child.

However, the fear that would make other normal Servant run away in terror was being kept at bay by sheer willpower. Although her body was trembling, the grip on the hilt of her sword still remained firm in their duty for her knightly pride would not permit an act as cowardly as escaping from a fight. Unbeknownst to him, was the fact that fear, instead of compelling her to runaway, was producing an opposite effect. Since flight in never in her option, fight remained as her sole course of action to take.

Saber took the chance to attack after deciding to use the lack of weapon in his hand to her advantage. Gritting her teeth, Saber defied her instinct and crouched low then leapt high into the air like a lioness ready to pounce at her game, albeit a very dangerous one "Don't underestimate me. I won't be intimidated so easily by an unarmed man."

Aiming to decapitate him down before he had the chance to draw his weapon, Saber kicked the nearby wall midair for extra boost of propulsion that launched her body and the blade to him in a blink. A split second glance at Samael's face evidently revealed his surprise.

"Hahhhhh" An unfittingly masculine battle cry erupted from Saber's lip as she swung Excalibur sideway in a horizontal slash.

CLANG!

"Unarmed? I think not." Samael blocked the sword with his right forearm. The force of the blow was more than sufficient to tear enough leather in the sleeve of his jacket to reveal the metal plating that covers his skin underneath it. At the same time his left arm disappeared underneath his jacket for an instant and appeared in front in the form a left hook, forcing her to withdraw her blade in self defense and leapt back.

Being a few paces away from his attack range, Saber had the chance to observe the newly worn weapon in his left hand. It was a leather glove with array of steel spikes. The weapon itself was not impressive but the same cannot be said for its wielder. Saber knew that the last blow contain enough impact to fracture her ribcage if she hadn't dodge it.

But what stood out and grabbed her attention more was the gauntlet in his right that gleamed in the evening sunlight as he ripped off the remaining part of his tattered sleeve. The weapon was pitch black and metallic, which allowed it to easily blend with his dark clothing. Either of its ends was slotted with short serrated blades, one behind his elbow and three in front of his knuckle for trapping opponent's weapon and disarming.

Its killing potential aside, the weapon was a masterpiece of a craft man whose skill was beyond human. The gauntlet was richly decorated with patterns and sigils, carved in gold, which snaked throughout the entire piece, beginning from his elbow down to the coiling pattern around each of his finger. Saber, however, knew that its lavish decoration merely serve to blinded other of its deadliness. She wasn't like any other igorant prey who can be fooled by appearance alone, for the stench of death that it carried served to stigmatize the gauntlet as a nearly unrivaled tool of death.

Despite its overwhelming appearance, the wielder seemed to have no intention of using it against her as he remained in defensive stance. It was Saber who first started on the offensive in a panicked movement; alas they were all blocked by the man's deft arms. It wasn't as if she didn't attempt to breakthrough his defense but every time she tried to unleash a more powerful blow to crush his guard, a well aimed counter attack with a spiked left hand always interrupted it and forced her to dodge.

_It was strange _Saber thought. Although the man do have solid defense, she shouldn't have any trouble breaking it in normal circumstance for, in comparison with other Servants, his speed border on the sluggish group. However in the current fight, her swordplay couldn't connect well and her offense was constantly one step slower than it usually is. Even her movements were somewhat awkward, being too focus on dodging to care about precision. Was it because the immense power packed inside each of the counterattack cause her to lose the usual focus?

_No, that's impossible_, Saber dismissed such possibility. Although there no denying that the man was strong but his strength is a mere child compare to that of Berserker's.

Then why is she scare of him? What in him had intimidated her so badly that there was a constant nagging in her subconscious mind to be afraid? Even she couldn't answer that question.

Clang!

Another blow exchanged and another dodged. Saber breath quickened half from the fatigue of the battle, the other half from the fear that clung heavily to her skin. However, even with this handicap, defeat wasn't an option. Focusing all her strength on both legs, she leapt once again but this time, using her small stature to an advantage, she kept near the ground as she accelerated toward him.

Clang!

Parrying the counter attack, Saber attempted to duck through his armored right arm but not before the opening was closed.

Clang!

Her overhead swing was blocked. However this time Saber has her own surprise in store for him. Using the force of the last blow for propulsion, Saber flipped herself over his head and landed on the opposite side. Samael immediately snapped his neck backward to follow his opponent with his field of vision. However it was already over, an experienced warrior like Saber wouldn't give him the chance to protect his vulnerable back. All that's left was for her to deal the final blow.

Saber unleashed another fierce horizontal swing, aiming at his neck from the left side. Although it was nearly unnoticeable, it took slightly longer time for him to bring the heavily armored right arm to block a blow coming from his left side than his right. This unequal proficiency in his defense of his left and right side was noted and being fully taken advantage of. From that position, his right arm was no longer in time to deflect the sword that accelerated toward his throat.

"HAHHHH." A stream of blood erupted out as the invisible sword sliced into the muscular tissue. In a short confused moment, the blade slowed to a halt, leaving its wielder to be temporarily suspended above ground with the height difference.

WHAM!

Saber was hit by a cannonball. Her petite form, inadequate of resisting its sheer force, was flung away like a rag doll. Yet most of the impact was absorbed by her chest armor, leaving the extent of damage to be only crisscross pattern of cracks and dent in the plate of steel that crumpled against her torso.

In contrast to her, Samael was standing firmly on one leg while the other was in the air with knee pointed forward after its immediate counterattack. The extent of damage on him, however, was severe. Stream of blood flowed freely from a bone deep wound in his unarmored left forearm as the glove offer protection up to his wrist. The injury was visible through an opening in the layer of leather that was slashed away by the sword. After she moved past the defense of his right, only the split second decision to sacrifice his left arm to protect the vital membrane seemed to have saved his life. On his face, however, was a mocking smile.

"Impressive. I have to admit, Saber, that my estimation of your ability barely done you justice both physically and mentally, too, of course. I know you are a brave warrior but never did I expect you to be brave enough to overrule your instinct" The steady voice that escaped from Samael's lips sounded amused with no permeation of pain. He was calm to the extent that physical torment didn't seem to be perceived.

"Answer me, which Servant are you?" Saber pointed her sword in his direction, determined to get an answer from him or force it out if need be. The man scoffed at Saber's theory before breaking out into a full-fledged laughter that echoed hoarsely within the confinement of two walls.

"Answer my questions!" Saber raised her voice seeing that her question had fallen on deaf ear.

"It seem that you must have misunderstand something, Saber." Samael replied roughly, somewhat out of breath by his laughter, yet his demeanor was clearly mocking her.

"And what might that be?" Saber inquired with her voice laced in poison.

"This." Samael flexed his arm toward her. Although the gesture was meaningless to most, for Saber it was heart-stopping.

Saber, realized that she'd just made a costly mistake, turned her back to him without a second thought, knowing that she had no time left to waste if she wanted to salvage whatever will remain from this mistake. Reprimanding herself for never considering this possibility, Saber launched her body away from the alley without a glance backward, hoping that she will be fast enough to outrun him.

**Emiya Residence (18.12 PM) **

DING-DONG

A doorbell rang on the front door of Emiya residence, which forced Shirou who was ignorantly cooking dinner to respond to its blaring call. A pang of thought jolted the recent memory of Saber's word. _I'm going to be out for a moment, please be on your best guard until I return._

The warning was lightly brushed off. _Saber's such a worrywart_. There can be no Master stupid enough to openly assault another in such early night and in middle of the town to boot. The door bell rang again. It seemed like whoever was on the other side of the door was getting impatient, probably a mailman.

"Coming, coming," said Shirou to stall sometime before the unknown visitor continued to press the offending device. With a little push, well maintained front door slide to the side with ease and revealed before Shirou a stranger whom he never see before.

_Definitely not a mailman_. The man who was standing in front of him was too handsomely dressed to be one. He was clothed in a white T-shirt under a grey suit, black tie, dark colored pant that reach to his ankle, well-polished leather shoes that show a mirror like reflection, and a leather traveling suit case that gave the impression of containing many important documents. However despite his business-like appearance, he seemed to be barely out of his teenage years.

"May I help you?" After looking at each other for a moment Shirou decided to started the conversation, after all he couldn't sensed any hostility from the man and even as an amateur, he could feel that the amount of magic energy that this visitor possess is no different from non-magic users.

"Definitely, is this the Emiya House?" The man inquired with a gentle voice and a bright smile, both of which seemed genuine. His Japanese was a little foreign accented but otherwise flawless, which came as a surprise considering his European appearance.

"Yes, I am Emiya Shirou and you are?" Unlike the other instance when Shirou interact with officials, he felt no pressured from the man perhaps because of his young age or smiling disposition. With no more doubt, Shirou returned a smile and extended his hand as a sign of hospitality.

The man returned the gesture. He seemed pleased at Shirou's hospitable reaction. "My name is Abel. I have some business from the Church."

**Fuyuki City (18.18 PM) **

A line of blue arrow zoomed over the sea of rooftops, passing them like a wind. The scenery below was ignored, except to momentarily search for foothold, for there was only one care in Saber's mind. _Return to Shirou_.

Once again, Saber berated herself for falling this easily into enemy's trap. Although the time that was brief, perhaps only a split second, there was no question about the symbol that became visible when the man turned his naked forearm to her line of vision. Despite being painted crimson by blood, a dull glow of black sigil could be seen clearly through the murkiness of the dusk. It didn't take genius to figure out what it was, for Saber it only took an instant before the fact sunk in.

There was no mistaking it. The symbol was command spell. The only plausible explanation for this turn of event was pieced together in the form of one word.

_Assassin_.

* * *

With a big smile on his face, Abel observed his friendly target inviting him into the house. Before entering, Abel's rearranged his suit to let out some heat that was store inside from rushing to the house while Samael stalled time. His movement was done carefully enough not disturb the item hidden within a secret pouch that was sewed into the fabric of his suit. Its weight that could still be felt by a minor strain on his shoulder reassured him with the protection that it offered and, at the same time, sickened him with its ability to transform him into a heartless killer.

Taking one last deep breath, Abel followed Shirou through the front door with determined step. His hands tightened into fists as he reinforced his resolve for the last time, before this coming trial.

_Alright, I'm ready. _

_

* * *

_

So how is it good? bad? Please leave a review. Any comment is appreciated and thanks every reviewer. Your review really help me to persist on and finish this chapter.


	5. The Blinding Deception

I apologize for this short chapter but my end of the year exam drained most of my time and energy so I haven't much left to put into writing this chapter. The next chapter should be back to original length now that the exam is over and my Christmas break just started.

**Message**

**Noblesse Oblige**: Just to clarify some point, Samael didn't know Saber's real identity. He only know that she is a Servant of Saber class. The reason why will be revealed later.I'm considering your suggestion to take a beta reader, but since I'm new to all this I may take sometimes to find out about it first. By the way, your desire will be fulfilled. A much worse punishment than beating (in my opinion) will be unleashed upon Shirou in the next few chapter and over most of the first half of this story, so rest assured.

**Zer000**: Hmm, you certainly point out a good complication about pairing with Saber. I'll have to think about it. However I don't think I'll be giving Shirou both Rin and Saber, since that kind of pairing simply doesn't suit my taste and frankly I say that one of them is already too good for him.

******The Crescent**: Absolutely, I would like to know why you prefer ShirouxSaber. Thanks in advance. I'm glad you like my writing.

**colin**: I realize they really are strange. But it's going to be sometime before their action start to make sense, so I suppose you have to stickaround.

**Ergast:** Thanks for the idea. It really point some good aspect of making ShirouxRin pairing, so I really appreciate it.

**lily**: Thanks for your suggestion!

**Jacen Starslayer**: Don't worry, you'll see soon enough.

**Alex**: I'm grateful for your kind word. I hope that my writing will continue to be enjoyable for you too.

**alice**: Your suggestion is certainly worth considering. It will give me another option incase I choose ShirouxSaber.

**Dorothy**: Thanks for sharing your idea about ShirouxSaber. You certainly show some interesting points, which I found interesting.

**tatamae**: Let's hope it will improve. Grammar is always the weakest part of my writing. Hopefully, the mistakes are not too distracting for you readers.

**samantha626**: We'll see about the pairing. I'll try not to delay my decision too far.

**Logan - Murder of Crow**: Certainly, I would love to read your work. Just tell me when you release it.

**subreaper01**: Thanks for the review and your opinion on the pairing

Sorry for the late response to your reviews, but I just recently happen to think that it might be nice to respond to these wonderful encouragements and advices that you guys gave me and, in addition, I just don't have any more energy to continue the story in this chapter. Anyway here's the fifth. I hope you enjoy.

* * *

**Chapter 5: The Blinding Deception **

**Emiya Residence (18.20PM) **

_All goes according to plan_. Abel noticed how Emiya Shirou dropped his guard during earlier conversation. Of course, as Samael had told him times and times again, the outfit was crucial in giving the impression that he wanted to the target. The grey colored Armani suit that he bought just for this occasion served its purpose nicely in creating an illusion of respectability but his gentle face and smiling disposition allowed his image to maintain a certain level of affability. _Serious yet affable, an excellent image to buy someone's trust. _

"So I take it that you are an acquaintance of my father"

"Not in that sense, since I never know Kiritsugu-san on a personal scale." said Abel with his voice a pace faster and his body more tense up than normal, while he was trying to hide his quickened breathing partly from sprinting here and partly from guilt of deceiving this man. However the signs of abnormalities were too slight to be detected except by the ones closest to him. "I am the representative from the Church in accordance to Emiya Kiritsugu's will."

"I see. Then we should take the conversation to the living room." Shirou knew that neither Fuji-nee nor Sakura will be come to his house for the day, however just to be on the safe side, he rather have the conversation be carried out more secretively to prevent an uncomfortable situation incase one of them decided to pop up and overhear him openly discussing an issue related to magic with a stranger.

"Yes, I believe we should. It will take sometime to fully inform you of this issue." Abel agreed with a fake smile and obediently followed as Shirou led him deeper into the house

As he opened a pair of sliding doors to his right that led to a cozy dining room, a minor twinge of unease assailed Shirou as the memory of how Tohsaka interrogated him in here resurfaced. At least he didn't have to worry about it for the time being as the she-devil had already departed to her home for the moment to retrieve some items of necessity.

"Tea?"

"Yes, please." Abel replied with a bright smile that served to hide a deeper intention. Having Shirou turned his back to him while brewing tea would serve as a good distraction to give him sufficient room to maneuver and prepare for what to come next.

Abel slipped his hand to the inside of his suit that was hot and moist to touch from his sweat. As his hand mechanically snaked into a hidden compartment, he was greeted with a familiar sensation of an object that he hid in there earlier. His fingertips grazed its warm metallic surface in a moment of admiration.

The suitcase was left leaning on the other side of the table, out of his hand reach, but it doesn't matter for it was merely a decoy. The real item in need was hidden inside his suit. He observed with a surprise that it hadn't cross the Shirou's mind even once that perhaps he could turn out to be an enemy. _Such naiveté makes it hard to believe that he was adopted by Kiritsugu, but at least it's aiding me at the moment. _

His instinct compelled him, Abel rose up with all silence human could achieve and tread closer to his quarry. At same time, Shirou, who was obliviously busy with brewing tea, exposed his back in a completely vulnerable position. Abel's stride quickened as his well trained right hand placed firm grip on the handle of the hidden object for an instant before it slithered back beside him with a glinting of polished steel. He didn't need his sight to grab the object in its correct orientation for his sense of touch alone would suffice. Years of intense usage gradually transformed the object into a part of him.

His other hand crawled over the wall and flick down the light switch. _Concealing movement, basic_ _strategy before strike_.

Abel welcomed a rush of adrenaline that bestowed upon him extra strength and speed. The last step was done more forcefully to propel him forward. His movements were invisible to normal eyes thanks to surrounding darkness. The same darkness, however, provided no obstacle to his highly enhances senses.

Finally realizing that something was wrong, the prey turned his head backward only to find the shiny weapon skillfully positioned over his right eye socket. Purging away any remaining shred of hesitation, Abel coiled his finger around the metallic trigger and gave a final resolute pull needed to complete this bloody act. Without the time to move out of the harm way, the weapon let out a muffled sound of explosion and cling of fallen shell against the floor. Then all was silent, no scream of pain or terror, no heavy thumping of body against the ground.

Abel's unarmed left hand gently supported the soulless body before its fall, as if to apologize for the violence that his right had committed. The body was softly laid to the ground for its final rest. There was no blood, for his killing method was much more refined than any other human's. However, in the end, it was the same bloody act all the same. A faint shape of cross formed over the bloodless of cavity of his right eye as the body was purified.

"Rest eternally in the embrace of God," Abel whispered to the unhearing ear of his victim.

Sadness,

There should be nothing to feel in this situation but sadness. Yet Abel couldn't rid himself of the satisfaction of success that lingered within his heart. Disgusted at his own hypocrisy, Abel knelt down and prayed.

**Emiya Residence (18.25 PM) **

Saber landed precisely on the front porch, no longer care about hiding herself from public eyes, which luckily was not present. _No sign of break-in, at least one thing to be grateful about_.

She rushed through the door. Nothing was amiss. There was no blood, no sign of fighting, no Assassin waiting to chop her neck off in the foyer. There was nothing. Dead silence and darkness had seized the house in its control.

_Too quiet_

The house was too quiet to be accommodating a living man. Saber cautiously moved deeper but not without haste. Her pulse quickened as the fear of Shirou's demise assailed her with every step she made.

The other Servants wouldn't suffer from this problem, since the death of their Master would be signified by sudden loss of magic energy that they supply. Shirou's ineptness as a magus, on the other hand, made it unable for him to give energy to her and thus made it impossible for her to sense his wellbeing. All that she could do at the moment was to hope for the best and hasten her search.

She took a quick turn at corridor and saw the source of the abnormality. Even if the scene before her was obscured by darkness, her sharp eyesight warned her in all its urgency.A blur black figure of a man stood in hallway. His abnormally low magic energy caused her to be initially incapable of detecting his presence, which work to his advantage as an assassin. Beneath his frame was an unmoving body that blended with the surrounding darkness.

Purely compelled by rage, Saber pounced on the man with her blade. He was oblivious to her presence, being too absorbed in his kill. However with an unnaturally fast reflex, he lifted up a metallic object in time to intercept her blade at the last moment possible to spare his neck. The trembles in both his arms after blocking her weapon indicated that his strength was no match for her.

Seeing the difference in their power, the assassin decided to dodge her attack instead, which he did considerably well in the confined space. As soon as she attacks he would change the course of her blade by a rapid blow to its side, creating an opening which he could squeeze his thin body through. Yet before he could start on the offensive, she would counter with another blow, repeating the whole process again. The next few blows were parried and dodged in the same fashion but the trend didn't continue for long. The sight of the weapon stained with her Master's blood enraged her and sharply empowered the force behind each of her blow.

No longer had any care about sparing her energy for future battles, Saber unleashed a rapid flurry of slashes that cover the entire area in front of her. Seeing that he could no longer dodge her fury, the assassin decided to gamble his chance on blocking it with all his strength. However the decision proved to be a fatal one. Blocking the whirlwind of slashes depleted the entire strength that he mustered. As a result Excalibur broke the weapon-lock with ease and overwhelmed the assassin into colliding with the wall on the opposite side.

Readied her finishing blow, Saber darted toward the assassin with a vicious swing. Noticing her advance, he dropped his body to the ground to let her sword flung harmlessly over his head to be stuck in the wall behind him. Saber cursed the confined area of the house. In such area, her longer weapon was at a severe disadvantage.

The window of opportunity wasn't wasted. The assassin slipped in and quickly slashed both of her arms with a small knife hidden in his other hand while she was busy removing her sword from the wall. Although she couldn't dodge his attack, the lack of pain told Saber that the extent of damage was minimal. The assassin, however, seemed satisfied with his assault.

The satisfaction was short-lived, since before he could withdraw from that position Saber's foot reinforced with steel plate caught him right in his face. Although positioning between Saber and Excalibur made him less exposed to the wrath of her sword, he failed to realize the fact that the blade wasn't her only weapon.

The impact sent him crumbled to the ground but, before she could follow-through on her attack, he lifted a small blunt object in his right arm to her eye level. From its tip emerged a flash of light that mercilessly tear into her unprotected retinas, forcing her to stagger back. Enraged by this unexpected move, she blindly swung her sword in the hope of catching him by surprise.

She, however, possessed no such luck. The assassin easily evaded the destructive path of her blind counterattack and scuttled to other side of the hallway. At the very least, she managed to catch him ready to slip into one of darkened rooms with the corner of her tearing eyes.

_He is escaping, such cowardice._ Despite the risk, Saber pursued him without giving time for her vision to totally recover. Making sure he will pay dearly for what he did to Shirou, she came at him with another swipe. The man turned and, without the time to parry and dodge, he blocked her attack. This time, however, he didn't even flinch.

Despite noticing this strange shift in their strength, Saber was not in the mindset that would give it much thought. Although if she did, she would have noticed that her magic energy was leaking from her arms, causing her to be unable to propel her weapon with earlier force. Preparing another blow, she rushed at him, alas it was unneeded.

A ray of white light struck the man in the middle his back causing him to collapse on the ground with a grunt of pain. His assailant revealed herself in the middle of the doorway with one hand imitating shape of a gun. "Just what is going in here, Saber? Where is Shirou?"

Saber sighed in relief at Rin who appeared just in time to save her from a lot of trouble. However she deliberately avoided answering Rin's question, it was yet the time to reveal the terrible truth to her, and shifted her attention back to the fallen Servant. She hoisted her sword, ready to give out the well-due punishment to this cowardly assassin. However, before she could bring Excalibur down, a sudden turn of event stop her sword dead in its track.


	6. The Suspicious Proposal

**Chapter 6: The Suspicious Proposal**

**Emiya House (18.30 PM)**

Saber stood over her fallen opponent with mixed emotion: the satisfaction of revenge, the guilt of failure, and the hatred for him who had claimed the life of her Master. Despite their difference, they all blended together and gave rise to the same objective. **KILL THE ASSASSIN**.

Yet Saber found herself unable to bring down the blade. A simple action which she had done countless time was now no longer performable for, withholding the torrent of raging emotions that demand his death, a thin sliver of thought was convincing Saber to lay down her arm. Due to a reason that Saber herself couldn't fathom, she felt a sudden reverence for the man that lay helpless before her. Despite the fact that he was an assassin, he appeared so innocent, so divine in this vulnerable moment that taking his life seems to be an unforgivable sin.

Her breath quickened not because of fatigue but the conflict that was going in her mind. However before this traitorous feeling had a chance to crush her determination, Saber tightened her grip on Excalibur and, along with it, her will. Surely, this must have been one of the cowardly tricks that he employed. Suppressing it with sheer willpower, She let her blade descended upon the assassin in a vicious overhead swing. With momentum taking control, the blade accelerated toward him to separate his head from his body. However, before it can happen, a certain voice pierced her ears.

"SABER STOP"

Her muscles tensed up in response to it as her arms had to withstand the recoil from bringing the blade to a sudden stop. Confused, she traced her eyes to the source of the voice where Shirou could be found further down the hallway leaning on a door, breathless yet relatively uninjured. Being hindered by the sudden lack of light, the sound of fighting hastened his attempt to exit the darkened room.

Despite this surprising turn of event, Saber didn't seem amused, for her relief at Shirou's safety was only felt for a moment before it was converted into another emotion entirely.

"What nonsense are you talking, Shirou? Even if it is against your wish, no order can make me spare this cowardly Assassin." Saber fired back in anger at the absurdity of Shirou's command. Although the similarity with the past event allowed her to stop Excalibur in time before another command spell was used, she was already at the limit of her patience with Shirou's naiveté.

"Assassin?" Shirou said with genuinely dumbstruck look on his face, which terribly tempted Saber to give him a good punch to knock some sense back into it.

"Look here, Shirou. I know killing is against your sense of justice and all but don't you think sparing your would-be assassin is a bit extreme." Rin reinforced Saber's argument after using a short moment to assemble a plausible scenario of event that she missed.

"No, it's not like that. I think there is some kind of misunderstanding here." Before Saber and Rin, who were determine to make him see things their way, Shirou could only respond timidly.

"What is there to misunderstand? Hadn't he tried to kill you?" Using the last ounce of her remaining patience, Saber tried to convince Shirou to the reality of this situation. However to no avail.

"Kill me? I think you got that wrong, Saber. That man, you see." Shirou paused a bit as if he wasn't sure how to continue. "He just saved my life."

"Shirou, what do you-" Another creak at the door startled the three occupants and cut saber off in the middle of her sentence with an entry of a man into the house.

"YOU!" Saber growled at the man who use this moment of confusion to enter the building.

"It certainly seems like we started off on a wrong foot here, but what he said is correct." Samael lifted a hand in front of him as if to stop Saber, who was shifting into her battle stance. "Please, if you would only allow us to explain. I'm sure we can sort things peacefully."

Saber shifted a nervous look at her Master. The situation didn't bode well for them. She wouldn't be able to protect Shirou, if that man suddenly decided to bare his fang. Her worry, however, was unneeded when Samael walked pass Shirou to attend to his partner.

"Unconscious, but no visible injury." Samael lifted the limp body in his arm and inspected its condition.

"Of course, that spell was only meant for restricting target's movement." Rin replied feeling somewhat insecure about this man whom Saber seemed to hate with passion.

"Good, when he wakes up we'll talk. May I request a permission to let him rest in one of the room?" Samael slung his partner over his right shoulder and marched into the said room. Clearly, he wasn't expecting answer from Shirou.

"Shirou, what do you think?" Saber cautiously asked Shirou. Her voice was kept low to prevent the brutish Master from overhearing.

"Let's trust them for now. If they really meant harm then I would have been dead by now." Shirou replied casually with a small smile. The simplicity of his way of thinking never ceased to amaze her.

Saber took a glance further down the hallway, where a forgotten corpse laid discarded. As seen from its beastly hand and the leather strapping that concealed its face, it was undoubtedly the assassin from last night that came back to finish the target it had failed to kill. Despite her distrust of them, it was apparent that without their interference Shirou would not have survived until her return.

She was ashamed. No matter how big of a threat Samael was and no matter how cumbersome of a Master Shirou was leaving him to fend for himself while she ventured outside was clearly not a wise decision. Now that she had the chance to calmly think about it, she mustn't have been in her right mind when she left Shirou so vulnerable.

If she'd only remain vigilant to her duty then she could have detected the assassin's foul presence when it approached and eliminate it once and for all without subjecting Shirou to this kind of danger. Undeniably, her carelessness played a role in this lapse of judgment, but it wasn't entirely her fault. No one in their right mind would have anticipated that an assassin whose head had been severed would actually return to fulfill its mission.

Still, how the demonic assassin survived mortal wound that she inflicted last night and manage such a miraculous recovery was beyond her knowledge but what astounded her even more was how peaceful it looked in death. She wasn't sure herself if she was using the right word, but _serene_ was the choice that she chose to describe its corpse.

The fallen Servant could easily be mistaken for being in deep slumber, saved for the bloodless cavity in its right eye that was carved up by a single bullet through its head, which showed that it was, indeed, dead. _It had been purified_, she realized. Not even a trace of evil could be felt from its body that disintegrated into nothingness

_Just who in the world are these two_? Saber didn't have the slightest idea about their identity but there was one thing she knew for certain. There can be no room for leniency in dealing with them, which cause her to be unable to extend the same trust in them that Shirou did.

However, at the very least, in accordance to his decision she was willing to put up a civil façade. In preparation for the upcoming talk, Saber reverted her apparel from metal armor back to everyday cloth, partly to maintain this temporary peace and partly to conserve her magic energy. Excalibur was stored deceptively out of sight, ready to be summoned to her hand in any instant that it will be needed.

With suspicion heavily burdening her heart, Saber cautiously followed Shirou's suit and entered the room. Inside, Samael sat casually on one side of the table and propped Abel on the nearby wall. He gestured them to take a seat at the other side, an action to which they complied, although somewhat reluctantly.

"I do believe first impression is important, so let's just forgive and forget and start over." In a moment, Samael assumed a more casual manner around the three as he took turn shaking hand with Shirou and Rin, before moving on to the last occupant of the room with his hand out-stretched in front of Saber. "I have to apologize for the earlier misunderstanding. As far as I know, your Master is an amateur magus, no offense intended, so I didn't think that you are his Servant, especially with your level. Hopefully that will clear up the misunderstanding."

After a short silent moment, Saber cautiously took his hand. It was rough and ice cold like that of a corpse, yet they possess a peculiar gentleness that one's cannot imagine to be present in such a wretched pair. Still, unshaken by his friendly greeting, Saber's suspicion of him remained strong. However before Shirou's decision to trust him for the time being, she was left in no position to argue. Saber sat down on her cushion ready to hear out whatever excuse the suspicious pair might have.

"What do you mean? That doesn't make any sense." Tohsaka Rin slammed both hands down the table to openly express to dissatisfaction with their explanation. Abel, who was awakened at this point of conversation, winced a little at this unexpected reaction.

"Please, miss, you can ask any question you want but let us finish our explanation first. We cannot continue being constantly barraged by interruptions like that" Samael replied rigidly which caused Rin to grumblingly sit down beside Archer, who came out at her insistence.

"As we were saying, both of us are a member of the church." Abel continued and was about to once again be interrupted by Rin.

"And, yes, as strange as it sound I'm also his Master." Samael lifted a hand to stop Rin and quickly continued. "A situation made us decided that this should be the best course of action for us to take."

"And, moving on, our purpose of coming here is to protect you from the War. It was our mission, no, more like a personal favor from someone close to us." Abel continued where his partner left off without giving any for question to be thrown at them. "His name is Emiya Kiritsugu."

"Wait, my father?" Shirou blurted.

"Before his death, your father left his will to a church's personnel asking him to protect his son from the next Holy Grail War if it should happen after he departed for the afterlife." Samael continued the story without care for the interruption. "Kiritsugu feared that his feat in the last war will endanger people close to him, so that's why we are here. Now, any question?"

Rin immediately responded with a question of her own. "Hold on a minute, what you said still doesn't make sense. You two are both member of the church then how can Abel be your Servant? Aren't Servants supposed to be heroes of the past?"

"Not always, it appears." Samael replied. "Then again, perhaps killing vampire can also be considered as heroic act. Nevertheless, the fact that he appear as my Servant is enough proof that the Grail can operate free from the constraint of time."

Rin took only a moment in comprehending the fact presented to her and summarize them in a more understandable term for Shirou and Saber. Archer, on the other hand, has a knowing smirk on his face as soon as he heard the statement. "So he is a Heroic Spirit of the modern era."

"Sorry for asking but don't the members of the church suppose to be more, well, like old men who teach about heaven, God, and stuffs like that?" Following Rin's lead Shirou also openly expressed his question regarding their background.

"Well, perhaps it was our mistake to say that we really belong to church." Abel answered. "It would be more accurate to say that we only belong to a hidden sub-branch of it."

"Hidden?"

"To let the church do their unchurchly business. Take assassination for instance. " Samael stated flatly. His reply immediately spark the tension in the within the room. "No need to get all that tense. We only assassinate heretics, demon, and vampires. As far as I see, none of you fit into those categories, although we sometime take special mission like this one."

The replied diffused some unease, however Rin was clearly left shaken with her face pale. She unfortunately could form a link between the recently received information and her childhood nightmare. She suspected as much when she heard they came from the church but hearing the fact confirmed by the speaker themselves left no solace of doubt she could take refuge in. The church's personnel who can fight on par with Servant can only mean one thing. "Impossible, don't tell me you two are from the Burial Agency."

"Well, umm, we kinda-" Abel hesitation confirmed Rin's suspicion, knowing that the implication this name will give rise to more complications.

"We do understand impression that this name carried but please keep in mind that our mission doesn't require harming any of you and if possible I wish it to stay that way." Samael answered in Abel stead. However his word didn't carry much weight, after all how convincing would it be for an elite killer to claim that he had no intention to kill. Despite the confirmation of their intention, Rin started to gradually inch away from the pair among the other occupants' stare, remaining in their oblivious to the name's implication.

This action came as no surprise to the two Buriers for the Burial Agency was well feared among every magic-user as the epitome of death. Despite their front as an organization of elite demon hunters, the Agency's targets were not strictly limited to nonhumans. The magi learnt this fact the hard way during the height of the conflict between the Church and the Association, when the Buriers were dispatched to eliminate those who took the strongest stand against the church and thus was branded as heretics. Once targeted by a Burier, none was ever left alive whether they're magus, demon, or vampire, hence its name.

Although massive losses on both organizations caused them to eventually go through reforms to take a more humane stance toward one another, the legacy of the Buriers' brutality live on, transformed and shaped through passage of time into tales that never failed to make every magus that hear them cringe in fear.

"Actually you don't really have to pay attention to our status as a Burier just think of it like a warranty that we are truly capable of protecting you. Beside our organization went through many reforms that make it less violent than before." Abel desperately tried to salvage the mood from the gloom produced by his partner but apparently none in the room shared his optimism. "Nowadays, Burier only kills when it is absolutely necessary, the other times we only subdue our target"

"Given that letting him live is not too big of a pain, of course." Samael added before a glare from Abel shut him up.

"I hope this is not offending but are you really up for it?" Archer raised an objection. "As far as I can see, the amount of magic energy that you possess is far less than what a normal magus would. I believe I have a good reason to say that you lack even a magic circuit to store energy do you not?"

"He has his own circumstance that cause this absence of magic circuit but I guarantee you that he can very well hold his own and more in a fight." Samael answered in the stead of Abel who twitched uneasily and remained silent after he heard Archer's question. "He has his own way of using magic and the fact that he is member of the Agency means that he is capable of fighting on par with most Servants. However if more solid proof is needed then I think he wouldn't mind a bout right here and now."

"Although you wouldn't have meant it, I would suggest that you refrain from giving such joke as it might lead misunderstanding." Archer chuckled to hide the real tension that this conversation carried. For, although Samael's tone sounded like that of a joke, there was little doubt that his threat was real.

"Well, I suppose it's a bad joke anyway."

"But, speaking of which, you have yet to discuss the course of action against us and by that I mean Master and I. Personally, I don't care about what you two are going to do with that amateur but since Rin decided to cooperate with him, I need to know what you two intend to do with future obstacle like us."

"Good question, after all only temporary alliance can exist in this setting." Samael remarked. "However, let me make it clear. Our only duty is to protect this man not anyone else."

"But seeing that you two are ally, we can cooperate with the two of you for the time being." Abel added from Samael's unfriendly explanation.

"By that he means as long as you two don't try to stab him or us in the back. We can ignore your status as a participant and leave you two alone." Samael clarified.

"Unless you are the first to stab him." Saber grumbled venomously.

"But how about we save that for later. It's not like either one of us is going to biting each other's neck tomorrow, after all it's still a long road till the end of this war." Samael suggested. "There are more dangerous enemies out there, who know if any of us is going to survive to see the grail."

"Good point" Archer said. Their offer seems quite beneficial to him. The additional strength from the two buriers will surely prove as an asset to eliminate other pairs of participants and surely this mutual relationship will bring them all closer to their goal. The only question is which of them will be the first to succumb to temptation and break their agreement. "So what you do think, Rin"

"I am not too thrilled about working with them but two extra pairs of capable hand against Berserker will be useful." Rin whispered only in Archer's earshot. Accepting her rationale, Archer sank back into his seat with a knowing smile.

"Anyway, all these discussion will be pointless if the person in question doesn't wish to be protected, so let's head back to our origina-"

"We don't need your protection." For the first time since the conversation began, Saber spoke up clearly, her voice steely and sharp. "Archer and I are perfect capable of protecting our own Master we have no need for you two."

"Saber!" Shirou was surprised by Saber's bluntness, where as Samael, who Saber directed her animosity to, remained unfazed.

"You sure talk big for a Servant paired with such an incompetent Master." In response, Samael challenged her in an equally cold voice. "If I were you, I won't be so quick to turn down my offer. Think about it. In case Abel didn't arrive and kill that demon before your return, the only thing that will await you is his corpse. That's barely what I would call good protection."

"If I were you I will try to watch my word. I have very little tolerance for someone who insults my Master." The tension in the room increased to nearly the break off point with clear disdain Saber directed toward one of the guests. "As far as I can see, you don't have any proof that I can safely entrust someone as inexperience as Shirou to you. Unless you show me one, I demand that you two leave this very moment before I will have to resort to violence."

"I don't think it is wise to say that" Samael responded. "Although I can understand your point of view."

"I don't need your understanding. If you can show me no proof, leave." Saber said hotly and was about to continue, when she noticed a strange development.

Samael's sloppily bandaged left arm glowed a dull light in the shape of intricate sigil that over the bloodied limb. The move bewildered every one in the room including the two Servants, who reached for their respective weapon.

"What are you doing?" Saber inquired, ready to summon her sword out.

"Unfortunately, I'm incapable of giving a proof of our intention. However I hope that this gesture will prove sufficient to convince you otherwise." Samael spoke without regard for the blades that could soon be pointing at his throat. "Here by decree as your Master, you shall strike down all who intends harm for this man." Samael point his arm at Shirou as the light glowed more brightly and enveloped the room among the eyes of every breathless onlooker. When it disappeared, Samael had one less sigils on his forearm.

"That was purely insane. How can you expect to win the war if you can not fight against one of the Masters?" The unexpected action flustered Rin. Naturally, there can only be one winner of the War. Samael's action to force his Servant to protect one of Master can be considered as nothing but suicide.

"It doesn't matter. We join the war for the sake of our mission, not to win the grail." Samael remained stoic. His demeanor hadn't been affect in the slightest by his drastic action. "Anymore question?"

"Last one, why the risk entering the war? Wouldn't it be enough to protect him without actually joining it?" Archer asked at them in an offhanded tone that contained his hidden skepticism of their claim. "Or, perhaps, there is some hidden agenda."

"Well we-." Abel started but no more voice came from his mouth.

"It gives us a better idea of what to expect as a Master and, when needed, it will be easier to divert the enemy attention to us." Samael inserted his answered in place of the muted Abel. "When we deem that the situation is suitable, we will withdraw."

Abel's momentary pause did confirm Archer's suspicion. He was skeptical of them from the start and even more so at the moment. Judging from the hefty amount of lies and flaws it contained, their story was most likely false. The main question at the moment was their motive. It was unlikely that two professional killers would employ such a roundabout method in eliminating his target. They must have some kind of hidden intention regarding this offer than what they let on. Alas, it was impossible to acquire that knowledge in this situation.

Ultimately, Archer decided to remain passive. After all they didn't seem to bear ill intention to his Master at least for the time being.

"Anyway, let's get to the bottom-line. Is your answer a yes or a no?" Samael asked the four occupants.

"Yes, I'll be graciously taking your offer." Before any one in the room had a time to think the matter through, Shirou gave his answer and extend his hand toward Samael.

"That's what I like to hear." A smile tugged Samael's lips as he gripped Shirou's hand, only for a split second before Shirou was pull away by Saber.

"What are doing Shirou? Have you lost your mind?" Saber uncharacteristically screamed in Shirou face, after his consent took her by surprise.

"Well, why not I mean their intention seems to be genuine." Apparently Shirou didn't share the same view as Saber.

"Rin, please convince Shirou out of this agreement." Seeing that her effort alone wouldn't do much to make Shirou change his mind, Saber started to search for ally.

"Sorry Saber but this time I can't say I totally agree with you. We all saw how he sworn not to harm us using the command spell, so I don't think there is anything we are going to lose in this situation." Rin spoke firmly but gently not to anger the female knight, but deep in her heart she also felt certain uneasiness around Samael that didn't arise from his status as a Burier. This feeling made her unable to totally agree with Shirou's blind trust of them.

"Archer! What about you?" Saber turned to her last hope but only received a shrug in return.

"Well, Saber, I don't know what you got against them, but you may need to relax a bit. It not like everyone out there is trying to harm me, you know?" The nonchalant statement by Shirou further emphasized Saber to the futility of her effort. No matter how hard she tried, her Master seemed to be unable to grasp the danger that he was exposing himself to.

"You don't understand. These people they-." Saber fervently defended her standing. However it was interrupted by Samael who suddenly stood up while she busy with her explanation. "What are you doing?" She snapped at him.

"I change my mind."

"About protecting Shirou, you mean?"

"No, about forcing an immediate answer. Seeing the importance of this decision, I think it would probably be a wiser choice to give you all some more time to talk this matter through. After all, it wouldn't be good if some of you have to be forced into this agreement by the others isn't it?" Although his statement seemed to target no one in particular, it was clear who the short message was intended for. He gave a polite nod before making his way out of the room with a confused looking Abel trailing behind.

"Are you running away?" Saber narrowed her eyes dangerously.

"Are you me giving an option to say no? If you still think of us as enemy who use this sham as an excuse then why bother asking? But I guarantee we'll show up here tomorrow at the same time, so you'll have one more day to contemplate our innocence before making a final decision. In my opinion, that's a decent offer." Stopped by Saber's threat, Samael withheld his step and undauntedly turned around to face her

"How would I know that you won't use this opportunity to escape or worse return with full preparation to attack us tomorrow?" Saber said, her tone low and accusing.

"You don't, aside from the fact that Abel will butcher anyone who tries to harm that amateur Master of yours, me included, so if I intend to fight you it will a be 5 on 1 with two Heroic Spirits. Even I'm not that insane, a Burier maybe recklessness yes, but not suicidal." Unable to argue with his reason, Saber remained silent, yet there was still an unexplainable unease that was nagging her mind.

"In any case, Goodnight to you all and I hope that an answer will be ready by tomorrow." As soon as Samael finished his statement, he left the room without waiting for his partner or any of the other occupants who were still perplexed by his hostile exchange with Saber.

The room's atmosphere suddenly became more relaxed after his departure. There was little doubt that the clinging unease in the atmosphere was brought forth by his presence alone. Clearly, Saber wasn't the only one who sensed hostility from him. They all did, although the level that they felt seemed to differ, ranging from minor unease to open hostility.

"Well, ummmm, see you tomorrow." Abel said and timidly turned to Saber. "And, uh, sorry about earlier, when I, well-"

"If you've got something to say then say clearly. Other people won't be able to understand what you say if you keep stuttering like that." Saber scolded him in a stern voice. However, unlike the tone she used with his partner, it seemed to contain an advice rather than animosity.

"Y-yes, the damage to your magic pathway is not permanent. It should heal by tomorrow morning at the latest. I'm really sorry about that. I initially thought that you were an enemy." After bursting out what he wanted to say, he gave an apologetic bow to her and quickly followed Samael out of the room.

Despite the fact that his innocent nature allowed him to be the polar opposite of his partner in the term of friendliness, he didn't fare much better in gaining their trust. The earlier violence that he committed was thrusting his real status as a Burier into their face, although his affable personality almost entirely buried that certain fact out of their sight.

Perhaps it was due to this reason that Saber felt that the young Burier could be trusted. Still, it would be a risk to extend such gesture to him, seeing that the pair was likely to be following the same objective. Although she did not know the premise of their action, she was certain that it must be something severe for, aside from its dramatic effect, wasting one's command spell to protect a potential enemy was clearly nothing but suicide. Undeniably, that Master must have something in his mind to be willing to trade out one of the invaluable command spells to gain their opponent's trust.

However Saber would see to it that his effort turned out to be futile for it wouldn't be that easy to sway her rigid trust in her own instinct. Aside from prolonging the suspense before their rejection, the one day extension for consensus wouldn't do much to make her change her mind. Her answer to this question was already decided at the first moment that she heard it.

_Are you sure_? A tiny voice of reason pierced through her solid wall of resolution. Attempting to get rid of it, Saber shook her head. She must not trust them. She mustn't let someone who was enveloped so thickly by death to come anywhere near Shirou. With such defenselessness, he wouldn't last more than a few seconds before they butcher him.

_Even when the command spell will forbid them from doing so? _The same voice again convincing her to the logical side of the story. Although her intuition was quick to beat it down, the other side was becoming more prominent in supporting this argument.

_Why then would you give up extra help on the base of groundless fear_? There wasn't much that she'll have to do next evening just a simple flat out refusal would be do the job, but for some reason this course of action was slowly becoming less sensible as the best available. Irritated by this unwelcome mental conflict, Saber rose up from her seat in an attempt to cool her head with a small walk.

**Fuyuki City (20.12 PM) **

"I certainly didn't expect that he is a Master." Abel heaved a sigh once they were sure that they weren't followed, either by enemy or their target. He knew that complaints wouldn't improve their situation, but he just needed to let out some the frustration at this unexpected turn of event. "Now that he participates in the war, our story suddenly becomes suspicious."

"That was not part of our calculation, but I have to say that, as of current, this turn of event may actually be beneficial." Samael responded. "At least, the upside of having an additional Servant to protect the target clearly overshadows the downside of making our story seems suspicious, especially when we can buy their trust back with one command spell, well, some of them at least."

"I suppose you are right. After that drastic action, Saber-san still didn't seem to trust you." Abel said while thinking back to interactions of the two individuals in the past few hours. "Is it because-"

"Yes, but pay no heed to it. I'm already used to being the target of others' fear." Samael smiled wryly at this statement. "She seems to start being more open you with at least, certainly more than me. Man, ain't it convenient being an angel with people so readily extends their trust to you." A small silence touched upon them for a few moments as their conversation was starting to head off into this sensitive topic.

"Hey, Samael, can I ask you something?" After a while, Abel asked to break the uncomfortable silence that settled between them.

"Hmm?"

"Why did you left? Shouldn't you just stay until we finish? I mean they almost agree to our proposal." Truthfully Abel disagreed with his partner's action, but with the suddenness in which he left, there was no time to stop him.

"Abel, don't you agree that emotion is such a powerful part of our mind." Samael asked suddenly.

"Well, yes I do but how is that-" Abel was about to protest but it was cut short as Samael continued.

"Alas, this powerful mental response needs to be feed by a certain source to let it thrive. Without that, it can be vanquished by a simple touch of logic. Since my ability operates entirely on emotion, by removing the source, in other word myself, we can simply wait until her emotion is overpowered by logic to receive her consent of our stay. For some reason, perhaps due to her ability, she seems to be sharper than most in sensing my real identity. As long as I'm in her vicinity, she wouldn't give her consent." Samael smoothly justified his standing but the lack of emotion made it sounded coldly indifferent. "Also, seeing how good she is with that sword, it would better to have her work with us not against us."

"True, preferably I wouldn't want to fight her again," Abel agreed, but his voice turned considerably darker before he said his next statement "although I'm afraid that we won't have time left either. After all **they** also started to make their move."

"That person you'd kill is one of them isn't it?" Samael asked. The word killed in his sentence caused Abel to grimace before he could answer.

"Most likely."

"Then it seems that one day is the most we can give without cutting it close. Hopefully, their answer will be favorable. It won't sit well with my stomach if I have to kill them all." Samael said jokingly.

"Samael." Abel warned with disapproving tone.

"I know, I know. That's not a good subject to make a joke about," Samael said light-heartedly, but, before he continued, his voice suddenly gained a serious undertone, "however you should not be so quick to dismiss that possibility. With time pressing on us, we may eventually have no choice but to resort to more drastic measures."

"I just hope we will not have to fight them. They all seem to be good people." Abel uneasily squeezed words out of his constricted throat.

"Beside, these people are no pushover. Even if we go all out, the possibility of victory is unlikely. She's a real tough nut that one, nearly took my arm off." As if to prove his point, Samael leveled his half severed arm to Abel's line of vision. "Well, worse come to wear, we can call more people here, although Benedetti won't be pleased, if we're going to waste any more of the church's strained resources to take out civilians."

"True. Not that I ever want to do so in the first place."

"Well, they are all just precautionary measure. For now, we'll just utilize diplomacy, hmm?"

"I don't know, Samael. I can only hope that your _for now_ will last as long as possible."

"So do I, Abel... So do I." Despite the content that Samael put in word, the indifferent tone of his voice and a cold gleam in his eyes told a completely different story.

Still, as experience had taught him, Abel knows better than to criticize his partner's attitude toward unavoidable evil of violence in completing such high stake mission. Against all the possible odds for their attempt at peaceful solution, all that Abel could do was to hope for the most favorable outcome. Still, with myriad of ominous possibilities tearing his mind like a pack of hungry wolves, Abel's strides slowed to sluggish trudges, fearing for how the event will play for both side in the upcoming day.


	7. The Reluctant Compromise

**Message**

**The Snow Flower**: Well, thanks for pointing that out. I just hope that I can relay that stubbornness while keeping her in character.

Also, I'm sorry for this delay, I promise I'll try to be faster with the next chapter.

* * *

**Emiya Resident, Dojo (5.17 AM)**

Chirp. Chirp.

A chorus of bird chirped joyously as if to welcome the sun that was slowly making its way above the horizon. Its warm radiance gave off a glimmering touch upon the city that was transformed into a spectacular sight of gold. Alas, its magnificence was underappreciated for there was only a few who would leave the comfort of their bed to savor this earthly beauty.

Among the few, a lone knight sat rigidly in a traditional style, observing this breaking dawn with a troubled mind. Sleep had eluded her for the past few hours and, with her mind in such a state of havoc, the possibility of regaining it was unlikely.

The night was uneventful for her to say the least. The shallow rest she had provided Saber with little opportunity to relieve her mental fatigue from the conflict that was raging in her mind. Although the victor of this clash between instinctive calling and logic had been decided, a peace of mind was still barely within her grasp. For the defeated was unwilling to remain docile and was persistently lurking in the back of her head to find a moment of indecision to persuade her to its side.

In an attempt to take her mind off this nagging matter, Saber decided to relocate herself to a more cozy setting. There was only one place in the house that can offer her such comfort, the dojo. Surely, as a British knight, she was not familiar to such an oriental setting, yet there seems to be some universal elements in all training ground that seems to calm her down with nostalgia: the musty smell of weapon, the distant masculine yawp, the echo of clamor as the blades collide.

A wave of comfort washed over her. _Perhaps a little shuteye wouldn't hurt_. She thought wearily. It wasn't as if one sleepless night would immediately demand her to rest. After all, during her time as a king, there constantly were issues that pestered her into neglecting sleep. But, then again, giving a few minutes for her mind to cool down would help prepare for the ordeal awaiting her today.

_That's right, just for a few minutes_. _Shirou wouldn't be stupid enough to subject himself to danger in such a short amount of time. Jus... for...a...few...minutes._

Saber's eyelid drooped, securely shielding the morning light from her emerald orbs. Her consciousness slowly drifted out as the knight finally succumbed to her fatigue.

**Emiya Residence, Dojo (6.15 AM)**

Shirou gulped as his hand uncomfortably trailed around the door to the dojo. After waking up to find her absent and spending last 15 minutes in a frantic search, this was the only remaining place he has yet to inspect. However, now that he was before the place in question, it seemed so obvious that she would be here. Some how, the dojo's atmosphere give such a complementing touch to her image that it made a fool out of him for putting the dojo as the last on his search list.

Yet, there was still one final hesitation before he could enter into this area, which was claimed as her territory. The issue being the clear restlessness that Saber exhibited after their yesterday meeting with the Burier, which possibly would subjected him to her foul mood. He learnt this lesson yesterday, after the lack of knowledge in this matter result in a serious repercussion of the carelessness he displayed toward them.

For a moment he considered leaving to let her first come to term with this emotional turmoil, however the thought was soon trumped by the more immediate need of finding her whereabouts. Cautiously, he pushed the door ajar and peered inside, glancing from corner to corner. In contrast to his initial worry, the sight that he saw caused his lips to twitch into a smile.

A girl sat alone in the far end of the room. Although the first glance at her upright seating position seemed to indicate discipline, a more thorough observation revealed that she was, in fact, sleeping. Aside from her closed eyes, the only sign of relaxation was her head that tilted a little to the side as her relaxed muscle couldn't produce enough strength to hold it in place.

Drawn in by this serene sight, Shirou mindlessly approached her. Somehow, in this vulnerable position, her aura of authority seemed to have vanished. The trace of her masculinity had disappeared, hidden beneath her seemingly dainty exterior. The person before him was no longer the battle-hardened King of Britain, but a delicate lady of the court with her dignified grace.

Captivated by her beauty, it took him much longer than he'd anticipated to finally come to a decision to leave her alone in her rest. He withdrew his lingering gaze on her fair complexion and turned around to leave. His departure, however, was interrupted.

_SLAM_!

"HEY, Shirou, you're here?" The noise shattered the tranquility of this early morning as its source, Taiga, appeared at the doorway. Shirou cursed under his breath. The turmoil of yesterday events caused him to forget that Sakura and her will be dropping by in the morning.

"Sensei, perhaps you shouldn't be so loud. You might disturb other people." Sakura timidly objected her boisterous entry however to no avail.

"What are you talking about? You are supposed to do everything with energy in the morning." Taiga replied with the same old vivacity. "Shirou, if you are here, make som-"

"Shirou, is it already morning?" Saber who was just recently awakened by the noise asked sleepily.

_Shit!_ He cursed inwardly as he moved into a position to cover her from view, but the damage was done. The foreign female voice stopped Taiga and Sakura in their track. The shock of seeing Shirou with a blond haired beauty caused them to be temporarily frozen by shock.

Silence fell. Alas a commotion will soon ensue once their brain regains its function. In this moment of desperation, Shirou's mind could only offer a single pathetic excuse. "Uhhh... I can explain this."

**Emiya Residence (6.32AM) **

Tohsaka Rin was not a morning person. It usually takes sometime to purge drowsiness out of her system, but now she was thoroughly awakened thanks to the ruckus in the dining room that had shattered the morning tranquility and rendered sleep impossible. Even the guest building that was separated form the main house by two layers of walls and a distance of 15 meters wasn't spared from its raucous penetration.

Wondering what current disturbance is all about, she slowly approached the room in question. It wasn't as if she wanted to pry into Shirou's personal life, but leaving the current event unobserved with all the possibility of amusement it can bring would be such a waste.

Equipping her refined persona, she entered the room with an air of grace. All eyes were on her in an instant, but they weren't a cause for any worry. After the explanation she'd given yesterday, coupled with a bit of lies and exaggeration, the original residents known and reluctantly conceded to her temporary lodging in the Emiya house. Their gaze upon her was more out of unfamiliarity rather than hostility.

"Good morning, sensei, Emiya-kun," Dispersing the uncomfortable cloud of unease, She greeted them warmly. However, as she turned to address the third occupant, her voice became laden with guilt that revealed a blemish in her flawless exterior. "A-nd, of course, good morning to you to Matou-san."

"Ahh, right, morning Tohsaka-san." After a short moment of confusion, Taiga clumsily responded as her mind started to grasp the memory of yesterday conversation.

"Good morning, Tohsaka-senpai" Sakura, too, awkwardly returned the gesture. Although the majority of it was concealed, the unhidden traces of disapproval in allowing an outsider to join their household could be gleaned from the tone of her voice.

As she come face to face younger girl, Rin felt the familiar pang of guilt manifested itself even more strongly within her heart. Although it was slighter than yesterday, the feeling was still strong enough to momentarily rob her self control. It wasn't as if she deliberately wanted to avoid Sakura, but, she hadn't expected that their first meeting after the 10 long years of separation and abandonment would bein the middle of this unlikely circumstance. Sometimes fate can be such an irony that brings together the most outlandish possibility.

Still, there was no point in putting this emotion on display along with her vulnerability. Although she promised to herself that she will mend the mistakes her family had done to this girl in the past, but now is simply not the time for it. In fact, right in the middle of the Holy Grail War is probably the worst time possible. Having this thought in mind, Rin swallowed the feeling and instantaneously restored her exterior for the sake of concealing the turmoil beneath.

"May I be enlightened as to why we have the misfortune of such commotion in this early morning?" Rin asked in a lady-liked voice as her mind was moved on to focus on the matter at hand. Her sarcastic undertone, however, was not caught on by the rest.

"Oh right, you see? Shirou jus-." Taiga began before her explanation was interrupted.

"Saber!" Rin exclaimed in surprise when she lazily dragged her eyes to the last occupant who earlier was hidden from view.

"Oh, Tohsaka-san, you know her?"

"Well, not in the strictest sense, we just recently become acquainted." The presence of Saber in the room was enough to allow Rin to deduce a logical explanation for the earlier commotion and, surely, in the corner of her eyes she caught Shirou giving her a look that say _support me_.

"_It's a deal, if you takeover all my cooking shifts this week_." After she took a seat beside Shirou, Rin silently whispered her offer to him. The demand she'd made took him by surprise, but there was no room for him to bargain in this situation. Hesitantly, he gave a small sign that he accepts to which she responded with another whisper. "_In that case, just leave it to me and go along with whatever I say_."

"I see, so I take that this is the source of our problem this morning." Spending a few seconds to concoct a valid argument for Saber's stay, Rin started to work on accomplishing her end of the bargain. "But, personally, I don't see any problem with that. After all, I thought she is an acquaintance of his father."

"Shirou already told me that, but, honestly, I find it hard to believe."

"Well, why don't we ask the girl herself? Saber you know Shirou's dad, right?"

"Yes, I do. Kiritsugu was very generous to me in the past. I seek to repay that kindness of his, which is why I traveled here, alas all that greet me was the news of his passing." Saber improvised on Rin's story. She could have shed crocodile tear to strengthen the drama, but her masculine pride would never allow her so. Still, her calm demeanor gave enough weight to her partial lie.

_Nice going, Saber_. Rin commented as she waited for the opposition's response.

"But still, she is a girl and a very cute one to boot. Letting her live in same house as Shirou would be...very inappropriate." Taiga raised her objection. However Rin had already prepared an excuse to thwart it.

"Oh, but I'm living in the same house as Emiya-kun and, so far, no trouble has occur, or are you suggesting that my look is so unappealing that he wouldn't view me as a female."

"T-that's not what I'm trying to say." Taiga stuttered in reply, fearing that she might unknowingly insulted Rin. The slight wavered in her demeanor gave Rin another opportunity to exploit before her opposition can continue giving their grievances.

"Also, regarding Emiya-kun, I might not have known him for long, but, during the duration of my stay here, I don't believe he is a sort of person that would stoop to do something that low. But then again I only know him for a short while, so perhaps there may be another hidden side that is peeping on us with malicious eyes."

"Of course not. A gentleman like Shirou would never do something like that."

"Right? Then why the worry?" Rin's lips twitched into a small predatory smile once she heard Taiga's defense of her nephew's behavior.

"B-ut, but. Shirou's is a boy too a-and he might lose control of himself." Realizing that she was out maneuvered by Rin's word to contradict her position, Taiga tried to maintain her side of the argument with a stammer.

"Hypothetically speaking, even if by some ungodly chance Emiya-kun has submitted to his primal desire, I still believe it is no cause for worry as neither Saber nor I are ill-prepared for such situation." Rin continued speaking as she started to lure the older woman to her final trap.

"Hmm, and what might you mean by that." Not realizing that she was being led right into a trap, Taiga unknowingly followed Rin's lead.

"Well, I do know quite a bit of self defense and so does Saber, so I believe that your worry is barely needed."

"What she said is true. I am quite adept in the way of blade." Saber reinforced Rin's argument with her own affirmation.

"Claiming how strong you are is easy, but actually living up to that claim is not, young lady." Taiga retorted, reluctant in believing that such a small stature girl is capable of defending herself.

_And the bait is taken_. Rin thought as she sprang the trap. "In that case why don't you two have a match?"

"Wha?" Taiga and Saber let out a cry of surprise in unison.

"I think this is a good idea to let you know the extent her strength, then you can better judge whether the validity of our claim." Rin smoothly justify the thought basis of her suggestion. Although it seems as if Rin was suggesting this idea out of the blue, this move was planned since the beginning to be the final convincing factor.

"But-but to let Saber-chan fight me wouldn't be fair for her." Taiga raised an objection. Unfortunately for her this move also fell within the realm of Rin's speculation.

"I don't think it will be a problem, since this is just a friendly match, so no matter who win or who lose we'll still reach our objective of measuring her strength." Rin drew upon her reserves of argument for this scenario to maneuvered Taiga back to the course of her plan. "Or perhaps you are scare of losing to Saber."

"WHO IS?"

"In that case, I understand, after all you have your reputation to maintain. It wouldn't bode well for you if the Tiger of Fuyuki is defeated by an amateur isn't it?"

"That's where you are wrong miss." Feeling insulted by Rin's comment, Taiga sprang on her feet. "Get up. We are going to the dojo."

"Very well, but, before we proceed to duel, there is one thing that I need to ask." Still remaining on her seat, Saber raised a question. Her calm demeanor provides a sharp contrast to her opponent's clearly agitated state. "How strong are you?"

"Don't underestimate me. I didn't become a legend in the kendo world for nothing." Not knowing the real extent of her opponent's prowess, Taiga inwardly laughed at Saber's seemingly ridiculous statement. After all, there seems to be no way that the girl's frail limbs can compete to her own in the term of power and speed.

"Does it mean that I can win my permission to stay here if I can defeat you in this duel?" Saber asked for confirmation.

"That's right, but it will not be easy to do so, young lady. You better be prepared for a tough challenge." The overconfident Taiga affirmed her statement, although she would not have done it, if she had known of the bitter defeat that she will soon suffer.

"Do not worry. We'll see about that soon enough." Saber gave a composed reply as she followed Taiga's suit and stood up. Although her dainty appearance failed to establish any impact even while she was standing upright, some how the calmness that Saber exhibits in this situation unnerved Taiga. This uncertainty, however, was soon forgotten as they walked to the dojo with Shirou and Sakura trailing behind.

Rin was the last one to exit the room, sipping all the remaining of drop of her tea, as she triumphantly thought to herself. _Mission accomplished_.

**Emiya Residence (18.40)**

A single shriek of the doorbell cut through the dusky air, restoring all silence for this grim arrival. Impatient foot steps tapped irritably, awaiting someone to answer its call. The whole house was rally at the door, somber with contempt. The only exception was Taiga and Sakura, who became ever more hesitant in conceding to Shirou's request for them to avoid Emiya house for the night after the arrival of Saber.

After a slight glance backward to ensure that everyone was ready, Saber cautiously pushed the door open. The hairs on their back stood with a sudden chill as soon as the door left its frame, assailed by the foul presence of death that rushed into the room as the last barrier was removed.

The presence was enough to warn them of Samael, whose figure could be seen at the other side, looking the same as he did yesterday. Abel, however, chose to don in a more casual white skin-tight shirt instead of the formal suit he wore yesterday for better practicality in everyday action and, of course, combat.

Yet, in contrast to Saber's initial expectation, neither man was armed. Tension, however, still clung heavy in the air for it was apparent that this peaceful arrangement is merely an illusion. Although none has a weapon in their hand, both side knew well that their fingers were not trailing any further than its hilt, ready to be transformed into a grasp should the need arise.

Sensing this hostility, the two guests dared not venture further than the front door and break this fragile truce. Relinquishing the attempt to gain entry, Samael decided to continue their talk right there as he coughed lightly to clear his throat and began. "As much as I would like to bring this talk to a more comfortable setting, it doesn't seem to be an available option. Nevertheless, it is the time we've agreed upon. Now, your answer."

His demand only met with uncomfortable silence as neither Master was willing to assert their decision mainly because of Saber who has yet to give her approval. The tentative silence was not taken kindly by Samael who lashed out to it with annoyance. "Still haven't reached a consensus I see, but we have not come all this way to only be greeted with indecision. Must I–"

"Please, I know that it is hard to make this decision, but, as I told you before, we are already pressed for time, so please try to reach a conclusion." After interrupting this partner's harsh comment, Abel gave his version of the immediate demand for consensus, which, although toned down to be much gentler, still relay the same message. Seeing that his request was also met with silence, Abel was about to continue, however Saber took the initiative.

"My apology for still being unable to make my decision. However before I can give my saying, I have a request I need to make of you two." Words flew from her lips with a commanding tone. Her eyes were fixed on Samael like predator observing her game.

"Let's hear it then. What is it that you wish of us?" Samael inquired flatly. The slight amusement and intimidation that could be felt from her unexpected course of action was hidden far beneath his machine-liked exterior. "I guarantee that we'll fulfill it as long as your request is within boundary of reason."

"Do not worry yourself then, Burier. My request is very simple." Saber said with a predatory gleam in her eyes. "I simply need to speak with you, alone."

* * *

Samael stood near the door of the nearby guestroom that they move in for more privacy. He cocked his head to the side as if to question the purpose of her request for a private meeting.

Saber spent a moment in shutting the door away of probing ears before turning to glare at Samael. Even if they were not combating, her uncanny instinct rendered the presence of death that radiated from him repulsively strong. As a tool to aid in survival, it demanded immediate action to be taken against Samael, who pose as a dormant threat due to his affiliation with death.

Still, it wouldn't be fair to let her instinct alone be the sole factor in this decision. As dependent as she was on it, she understand that sometimes there is a need for a more complex and subtle way of thinking. Deciding to at least hear out the vain attempt to protect his faulty claim, she began in an accusing tone. "What is your real intention?"

"Excuse me?"

"Even if it is for his son, Kiritsugu would not turn to the aid of his enemy out of pure sentiment and the church would not be so generous as to offer the assistance of their elite to a heretic." Saber continued with even more force and accentuation. Yet her usual refined manner was still present, albeit only on her surface as her inside was already boiling with abnormal frenzy. "Do not mistake me for a fool. I'm not so naïve as to believe that your reason for coming here is solely to protect Shirou."

"I take it that maintaining secrecy over this knowledge is the reason you asked for privacy." Samael calmly gave his opinion, although not on the subject that she needed answer. "It seems my fear that this talk would be a ruse to incapacitate me while I'm separated from my partner is very misplaced indeed."

"Don't sidetrack." Saber growled.

"Not in a mood for joke, I see. Very well, I admit that you saw through our claim, albeit somewhat incompletely." Sharply contrast to that of Saber's, Samael's word contained no emotion within them, despite the content that was brought forth.

"And in what part might my thought be lacking in?"

"Not thought, simply information. The premise that your conclusion based on is merely outdated. Firstly, you were not far from truth when you said that the church will not, in their right mind, spare two Buriers to look after a friend's kid. Our resource is already being strained enough as is. Not, unless, that kid has something special about him, isn't it. Actually, you should already know the answer yourself Saber. As his Servant, you do have a connection with his magic circuit, do you not?"

"Elaborate." Saber gritted her teeth as she commanded, trying to glean as much information from him with revealing Shirou's incompetence as a magus.

"Unfortunately, that is the most that I can tell without getting into trouble with my superiors. If you wish to uncover the res, you'll need to put your own effort into it,. Honestly, I'm surprise that you haven't learned of it yet, or, perhaps, that Masters of yours is such an amateur that he lacks even the ability to form magic pathway with you."

"Whether he established a pathway with me or not is none of your concern."

"Fine, fine, no need to be offended, but I guess a mutt has to be angry when someone insult her master. Just figuratively speaking, of course."

Feeling a sharp rise of anger from his insulting comparison, Saber was about to fire back in retaliation. However, Samael took the initiative and continue.

"Please don't give much thought to that childish analogy. I do have some rare tendency to speak my mind before I have the chance to think it through." Despite what Samael had said there was no slightest trace of remorse in his voice. "I suppose another way to put it would be that your loyalty is admirable, but I wonder did you also show it to your earlier Masters."

"What about them?" She inquired, attempting to restore her calm demeanor to retain her dominance over this conversation.

"Well, I don't know, just curiosity." Samael paused and looked at her with a glint in his eyes of someone who was about to play his trump. "Let's see, why don't we take Kiritsugu, your Master in the Fourth War, for instance? I believe that you had a pretty poor rapport with him."

"How do you...? Who are you?" The question erased her calmness as Saber questioned him fiercely. Her face couldn't hide the shock when Samael, who was a complete stranger, managed to know the detail of her past summoning. Her visible agitation over his statement serves to put a triumphant smirk on Samael's face.

"The Holy Grail War is supervised by the church. It wouldn't have been strange if the supervisors of the past wars make a record or two isn't it?" Her question was answered, albeit incompletely. His avoidance of her second questioned confirmed that he was withholding some information. However before she had the chance to delve further into this matter, Samael countered her a question of his own. "Just to be sure, I think you possess an ability that enhance your perception with instinct do you not?"

"I will not answer any question irrelevant to the topic we're discussing." Saber snapped. Samael, however, took her refusal to answer as an affirmation and continued.

"If you do, you can relax and simply take your animosity of me as a reassurance that your ability is still sharp." Samael continued without regard to her retort.

"Are you confessing that I have a good reason for doubting your claim?" Saber asked challengingly.

"Not at all, by no means, the statement simply means that your instinct must have been excellent to make you feel this unease around me. However the heart of this matter lies more with my identity than my reason for coming here thus shouldn't have any effect on the genuineness of our intention."

"Then why don't you tell me your true purpose of coming here before I can decide on your trustworthiness." Saber momentarily indulged in the temporary advantage that she gained from this statement, seeing how it erased the calm collected look from Samael's face.

"Unfortunately, due to the secretive nature of this mission, I'm at a liberty to share its detail with an outsider." Samael rapidly regained his composure and answered in his usual even tone. "However it is not your trust that I need but your permission for me to aid you in protection of your Master."

"My trust is required for such permission to be granted and I am not willing to extend it someone who keeps his real purpose hidden."

"Surely, there must be some way to convince you otherwise."

"There is none. I've made up my mind and you are not going to stay." Saber stood up and started to leave the room. "Now, get out before I will have resort to violence."

Samael let out a sigh and lightly massaged the bridge of his nose to contain the annoyance that sharply arose from her vehement refusal, which deviated far from the course of action that he anticipated her to do. Running out of tricks, he no longer had any choice but to swallow his pride and resort to the last tactic. "Alright, fine, I apologize for the all of these secrecies but I swear that whatever true intention we have of coming here is for good cause. It is certainly unreasonable to ask for your trust with words alone but I do not have any remaining means to attain it, so please. Please."

Samael locked his eyes with her, hoping to convince her emotional side to give its consent. Saber stared deep into Samael's eyes, searching for any small hint of insincerity only to find none. In fact, she found nothing in them. The pair was hollow, devoid of life. She was looking into a dead man's eyes. Their eyes were locked few moments before Saber broke away, unable to withstand such a wretched pair. Yet she couldn't deny that he seemed sincere or, at least, was an outstanding actor.

"Very well, I shall comply with Shirou's decision for the time being." Saber indignantly replied to Samael, before turning to lash at him one last time. "However I will keep an eye on you and your partner at all times. If I as much as suspect that you are stepping out of bound, I will not hesitate a moment to cut you down."

"That is fine by me. In any case, I believe we've reach an agreement." Samael, who remained undaunted by Saber's threat, extended his hand forward for a handshake only to have it slapped away by Saber's.

"Save it. I do not wish to associate with the likes of you." With a huff, Saber spun on her heel and left the room, leaving the astonished Samael to collect his thought for a moment before following her back to the dining room where everyone else was gathered. A scheming smile was on his face with the satisfaction over this hard earned victory to secure the first step toward the completion of their plan.

**Street across Emiya Residence** **(18.50PM) **

A lone man stood at a distance, silently observing the house and its occupant under the shade of the nearby building. The fluttering of wings that surrounded him brought the lurid shadow to life. He lifted his hand up at shoulder height, where one of the winged shadow used as a foothold to land on. Once on a firm ground, the creature folded its wing and cry out with a piercing screech. Hearing its call, he affectionately used his index finger to caress it.

"You must be hungry. I know preys were scarce in that frozen field." The man dragged his eyes across the horizon. The glaring light of the twilight sun partially blinded his vision as he willed the earth to swallow cursed red orb. The resting shadow on his hand let out another dejected screech to which he responded with a familial affection.

"Patience, patience, my friend. The arrival of our time is nigh and we shall feast our fill. But, first, we must endure this torment together." He spoke raggedly. A soft sound of his anxious breathing could be heard as he licked his lip in anticipation of the coming hunt. His blood red eyes observed the sun feebly radiating the last of its horrendous glimmer over the horizon like his worst enemy laying on its deathbed.

* * *

There it is chapter 7. I'll appreciate it, if you would just press the button below and leave a review. The reviews are one of my main sources of motivation, so if it's not too much of a trouble just drop a little opinion or comment and it'll motivate me to the write faster.


	8. The Midnight Hunt

**Chapter 8 – The Midnight Hunt**

**Emiya Residence (18.59 PM) **

Tension clung heavy in the air.

Despite the fact an alliance have been formed just recently, the atmosphere was not a welcoming one. Aside from reaching the compromise to be protected by the two Buriers, it was apparent that neither group was willing to elevate their relationship any further than the minimal requirement to maintain this teetering coalition. The lack of conversational topic that these two very different groups could breach also did nothing but compounded to the growing unease.

"I suppose we should get going. There is much that we need to prepare." The sound of rising Samael and Abel broke the heavy silence. The occupants got on their feet and follow them, Saber to ensure that they won't try to do anything out of bound and the rest to customarily walk the guests to the front door.

"Nice house," commented Abel sheepishly. The lack of self esteem caused him to be incapable of asserting his opinion until they were in the garden and started to head for the exit. He truly started to take a liking to this old fashion wooden home in a silent neighborhood that seemed much cozier than his concrete and steel apartment in the busy street of Rome.

"Thanks, although I have to admit that it is way too big for me to live here alone." Shirou was initially surprised that the topic that one of the elite assassins chose to converse with him, although he adapted and replied fairly quickly.

"I have to agree. Even with four people around the house seemed pretty vacant." Samael looked back and tried to judge the rough size of the house, before deciding that it will be much easier to ask. "Have you any thought on its capacity?"

"I never really think about it but, as far I see, it can surely house much more than four."

"Intriguing." Samael muttered to himself and looked back at the main house with a scheming grin on his face. He stopped before the gate that led to the outside street and gave the two pair of Master and Servant a polite bow as he pushed the gate ajar. Only a split second, a slamming noise broke the silence of the early night, earning Samael a collective protest from the Masters and the steely cling of weapons being drawn by the Servants who realize the situation they were about to face.

Noticing the reason behind his partner's action, Abel whipped out his weapon out of its holster amidst the steely cling which indicated the other Servants also did the same. An ivory white revolver slipped with a well-trained precision into his hand. The weapon was made in resemblance to a cross with its magazine forming one arm of the cross and a rectangular scope forming the other. He momentarily sneaked a glance at the darkened horizon to have his sneaking suspicion affirmed. "Samael, the sun has fallen"

"So it would seem." Samael observed the beast that was caught in his right hand just as it slipped through the opening in the door. An unnaturally large vampire bat fiercely thrashed around against the fingers that firmly entwined around its body.

"Looks likes we've got company." Archer said. His tone serious. "Quite a large number I might add."

At that exact moment the legion of fluttering wings sprang to life. Their circular movement formed living spherical cage that pinned their prey against the front gate.

"Shirou! Stand back." Saber shouted out her command. However her voice either fell on deaf ear or it was drowned out by the screeching as Shirou attempt to position himself before her.

The creatures were hidden by the shrouding darkness. The only indications of their existence were the red glowing of rabid eyes and the white gleams of gnashing fangs. The flock was driven to the brink of madness by hunger. However a unnatural seemed to prevail over their instinctive urge, causing them to remain in formation with soldier's discipline.

Being preoccupied by the flock, they were oblivious to the person that had discretely slipped through the now opened front gate before their attention was forcibly captured his forceful handclaps that rendered the beasts momentarily docile. Occupying the space in the middle of the gate was an aristocratic man in a plain blood red garment. Despite his dignified manner, the man's apparel was frugally made and decorated.

The plate of temper steel that cover his torso was made purely for practical usage, leaving his small family crest as its only ornament. On his head sat a mighty helm, chipped and weathered by warfare, but still grant sufficient protection with its thickness. In total ignorance to his initial aggression, he greeted the group with a superfluous bow, although his missing left hand made the gesture seemed awkward.

Once all eyes are upon him, he began his introduction in English with thick Eastern European dialect. Along with the royal demeanor in which it was projected, his voice was filled to the brim with narcissistic confidence. Yet a slight demented edge served to reveal his sadistic natur. "Greeting, my preys. I am Vlad III Dracula, the Ruler of Wallachia and the Servant of class Tyrant."

"Should you be giving away your identity that easily? It seems you have a wish to drop out early from this war." Archer mocked after the surprise from this unexpected introduction subsided. However, with the minimal caution Dracula regarded this situation, this senseless revelation of his identity seemed to be carried out due to his self efficacy rather than a mindless blunder.

"That is no way for commoner to address royalty but, seeing your ignorance, I shall overlook this slander. I tell you, your worry is misplaced for what is the use of that knowledge to a prey about to be killed and eaten?" Dracula spoke. The underestimation of his opponents was clear from the way he lightly scrutinized them. In his eyes, this face-off is hardly a fight, but merely a hunt to satisfy his hunger and bloodlust. He was a predator and they were his prey, thus there was no reason to treat them as his equal.

Despite the fact that Dracula only stood mere meters away with utter lack of preparation, none of the fighters took the initiative to attack as to refrain from provoking the now docile beasts. The group remained still as Dracula examined them one by one, calmly judging which among them could best sates his hunger. His gaze lingered on each on each of them for a few seconds before proceeding with shifty movement to the next. It came to an abrupt stop at Samael, to whom he issued an order. "Return it to me."

"You mean this little thing here?" Samael lifted the struggling bat in his hand as if conceding to Dracula's demand. However, with a sudden movement, his grip turn crushingly tightened, squeezing droplets of murky blood through the crack between his fingers. "My deepest apology, your highness, such clumsiness."

Grimacing painfully at this sudden hostile act, Dracula let out a furious roar that revealed his two deadly canines through the crevice between his lips. Although the beast's inaudibly faint screech indicated that it still clung on to life, the issue of this defiance from a prey provoked him into this fit of anger. "Insolence, such insolence from a prey shall not be tolerated."

"Save your wrath, aristocrat and isn't it presumptuous to say that we are your prey? I say it's the other way around." As soon as he finished his statement, Samael let out an unearthly battle cry augmented a burst of his magic energy.

Intimidated by this sudden display of power, Dracula instinctively reach for the hilt of his Turkish killij. The vampire stooped low into his combat stance, eliminating all potential vulnerable spots with the curved blade of his weapon as Samael did the same with his own. Yet, in fear of being the first to expose an opening, neither man was willing to be the first to go on the offensive. The air remained charged with tension as the fight was brought to a short-lived stalemate.

Scanning each other's stance for any potential opening, instead Dracula picked up on a slight sign of anomaly. A small unhidden grin that plastered on Samael's face warned the vampire that something was amiss. However that realization came too late to be of any use for Abel chose exactly that moment to emerge from his opponent's flank.

With his exceptional agility and stealth, the vampire still remained oblivious to Abel's assault from his blind spot. Even if he did notice, there was little that he could do to protect himself from such a vulnerable position. Seizing advantage of the situation, the thin ceremonial dagger in Abel's right hand blurred with speed as it was thrust forward.

Clang!

The solid clang of steel against steel came as a total surprise for they expected the repulsive swish before the blade sink into the vampire's body. However blocking the knife's path was the curve blade of Dracula's kilij. Without wasting time to rotate his head or torso, the blade was decisively positioned across his back to intercept Abel's dagger, although it was unknown whether sheer luck or uncanny perception had allow him to perform this unlikely feat.

Still, its damage was done on the Burier. Being too sure of his victory, by the time that Abel regained control from his initial surprise, it was too late to react to the counter blow. Dracula's left fist caught him straight in the jaw as the vampire instinctively turned backward to finish off his assailant.

Seeing opportunity in his enemy's vulnerably exposed back, Samael darted forth before Dracula can deal his finishing blow. However, with the same clairvoyant perception that he used to detect Abel, Samael's movement was also perceived and countered with a backward thrust of his scimitar from the side. Although the blade's curved shape rendered direct thrusting move less effective, it enhanced power of sideway thrust that could snaked through the opponent's defense more easily.

The blade silently sliced the air as it traveled to its target, albeit somewhat inaccurately. Not because of misaiming on Dracula's part but of Samael's haphazard attempt at dodging that the caused the blade to be lodged in his shoulder instead of his heart. Seeing that he missed the opponent's vital, Dracula attempted for a second strike. Only before he realized that his prior attack had produced minimal effect on the juggernaut that was rushing toward him.

Even with Dracula's kilij embedded in his shoulder, Samael's assault continued with undiminished force and ferocity. Although his wild movement caused the blade to sink further through his shoulder, it appeared that his brain has yet to register the sensation of the cold steel in his flesh. The feral assault spared no time for the vampire to evade or repel it before he was rammed to the ground.

Determined not to give his game any chance to recover, Samael crouched astride the fallen fighter with one knee pinning Dracula's sword-wielding right arm. His gloved hand roughly seized the vampire's scalp, shoving his opponent's face against the ground to prevent any escape attempt from the final blow.

"Ashes to ashes," Samael hoarsely roared as he dropped his elbow to the base of Dracula's skull, aiming to shatter his nerve center. The blow is enhanced by the blade that protruded from the elbow part of his gauntlet, "dusts to dusts!"

CRUNCH!

The impact jolted Samael's arm. A slab of garden rock lay pulverized before him but that was all. There was no trace of Dracula as if the man had disappeared into thin air. However surrounding Samael was another flock of bats, larger and deadlier than others. From them, Dracula's voice simultaneously boomed out. "You shall pay for that insolence!"

They swooped at the vulnerable Burier, but back off before any damage could be inflicted. The decision proved to be a wise one as a hail of bullets sliced through where they would be if they carry on their assault. With his weapon in hand, Abel, who had recovered from the blow by then, continued to fire a few more round at the beasts that successfully anticipated his attack. However despite being larger than the remaining flock, they were too small and agile a targets, allowing them to slip away from the second volley with minimum casualty

"Although it had been centuries since I met the last of you, it appears that there is no betterment to your arrogance. Nevertheless, you will make a fine first meal." A disdainful voice boomed out amidst the flock before they scattered around in to one with the horde. His mere presence inspired them to their earlier bloodlust.

"To the house!" Abel's urgent cry erupted through out the noise as waves of bats swallowed six people in their midst.

"Easier said than done." Archer's voice boomed from somewhere within the flock. His shape, however, was hidden behind hundreds of swirling black shadows.

With their fangs bared, bats after bats released their fury on the group. Each Servant took their place beside their Master in a vain attempt to shield them. However, despite their prowess, repelling a horde of small winged enemies is not something in any of the fighters' expertise. Even if every single swing of their weapon could claim many lives, the immediate wave of replacement for the dead made it apparent that they could not let this become a test of endurance.

It was only a matter of time before they were overwhelmed. The only option was to pave their way through the flock with utmost haste before the less experienced among them would soon succumb to the growing wave of pain and fatigue. Although the beasts were not sufficiently size to inflict lethal wound, the cumulative gashes and bites effectively hindered their progress to escape the flock.

"Just a little longer." Saber, whose eyes saw the flock started to thin down, yelled out over the chaos. Their progress toward the house was severely hindered by the flurry of claws and fangs yet, compelled by raging adrenaline, this knowledge gave the group their last boost to breakthrough the line.

The momentary disappearance of pain greeted them as a welcoming change once they broke free of the beasts that surrounded them. The lack of painful stings and fluttering wings against their body renewed their vigor to continue their mad rush toward the house. However the realization of their surrounding that struck them caused their limb to be instantaneously frozen at the sight that lies ahead.

They emerged in the eye of the storm, enclosed by thickening wall of black that effectively cutting off any escape route. The creatures screeched at their trapped preys as if mocking their fruitless effort to breakthrough into safety of the main house.

"Pardon my twisted sense of humor but I find the disappointment on my prey's face to be most appetizing." Dracula's sneering laughter was simultaneously projected from every direction by each alpha bat that was integrated to assume command of the flock.

"Not good, the Masters won't be able to get out alive." Abel muttered, noticing the sharp increase the flock's number. "Any good idea, anyone?" The desperate question only met with silence as the massive black gradually closed their hold upon their victims.

* * *

_This will be enough to fill them for quite sometime_. Dracula thought delightedly as he watched his flock surrounding their preys. Images from various angles were transmitted his eyes through the interlinking perception of each of his bat persona. Myriads of sounds and smells compounded in his senses, proficiently tracked down his preys' every move. The sharing of this sensory perception certainly has its advantage in hunt by granting him immunity against all surprises and schemes that his preys may have in store.

Despite possessing their own body, the alpha bats don't operate like separate entities. They share a single consciousness that allow Dracula to operate them as if they were his limbs, after all they technically used to be his body part. In this form, he found it much easier to give order to his blood sucking companions, which he divided into smaller squad each controlled by his transformed self for greater maneuverability. Following his command enable to flock to assume a much more complex maneuver than their instinctive attacks.

His preys were discussing way to escape, however to no avail. Slightly disappointed that none of them seemed to come up with a plan, he signaled the flock in for a final strike. Their lack of struggle displeased his predatory nature, which finds the victim's resistance to be the best spice for their taste, however as he was about to give the flock their strike command, he noticed a certain development.

His prior focus on assaulting had cause the existence of his separated self that remain caught in the Burier's grip to be temporarily slipped from his mind. However his attention was forced to acknowledge the situation now that the Burier's hand was raised and readied to exterminate the beast. A few seconds of assessment allowed the situation to be dismissed by Dracula. It wouldn't do them any good to eliminate a just single part of him. The strike command can still be given by the rest.

As a downside of their collective sensory perception, all the negative sensation including the pain from this attack will also be transmitted to his central consciousness, however years of battles in war-tornEastern Europerendered him fairly used to being in pain. Having his limbs severed or his body pulverized couldn't very well interfere with the simple action of giving order. They could also be regenerated later thanks to the fact that he wasn't human. He laughed inwardly at this futile act of defiance, ready to finish off this hunt with a simple utter of his word.

However this overconfident belief had proven to be false in no time. The overwhelming pain that was discharged into his nervous system exceeded all the dull bodily torments that he could endure. Although the separation of his body into bat form allowed his remaining parts to escape being damaged, the noxious energy that invaded his body from Samael's touch blinded, deafened, and paralyzed him of all at once by overloading his core consciousness with the pure anguish. No voice would reach pass his lips as the ground simultaneously accelerated toward his tumbling selves amidst the confusion that was spewed among his flock from the absence of his order.

Struggling just to remain conscious, all that his bleary eyes could see was the faint outline of his preys that started to make their way to the safety of the house. The surrounding noise was temporarily lost from his quivering eardrums, saved for the Burier's haunting whispered to his dying left hand that was vividly imprinted as the last words that it'll ever hear. "Remember, vampire, nothing is impervious to death."

* * *

"Move, he won't be stalled for long," barked Samael as he rushed blindly into the massive wall of black that had mysteriously stopped its advance. Reluctantly but without other available choice, the rest of the group soon followed his reckless charge.

The resistance was far less than they had anticipated. After momentarily losing their commander, the beasts couldn't respond well enough against their escaping preys. The minorities that were sharp enough to block their way were also easily butchered to form a safe path for the Masters out of the deadlock. With minimal effort, they emerged on the other side and rushed to the house with all speed they could muster.

"Behind us!" Shirou shouted, out of breath. The bats were on their move.

"Shut your mouth and move your leg," was Archer's reply from the other side. The distance between the two parties was great enough that the bats had no hope of catching up. Not, unless...

THUD!

Rin unsteadily got on her feet and groggily followed the group. The bats were gaining on her at an alarming rate.

"Tch." Archer spat, braked, and took a turn 180 degrees to rush to his Master's side after she tripped and fell into an ungraceful meeting with solid ground. Deeming her legs unfit for quick movement, Archer snatched her up his shoulder and leapt back away from the blood thirsty horde. Archer was fast but the beasts were faster still. A cloud of black swallowed him up mere meters away from the front door that was open in waiting for him.

Despite the pain, Archer pushed onward in his best attempt to shield his Master from harm. However, with his defenseless Master in arm, he dared not to repel the flock with other more powerful weapons in his arsenal in fear of her safety. After all, no matter how good an archer he was, he couldn't very well fire his arrow with only one available hand.

His only option was carve a way out using the white blade in his right arm. Yet, even with one hand frenziedly brandishing and two legs steadfastly pushing onward, all that he could manage was to reach the front porch before the beasts swallowed him. For a moment, it seemed as if they fell to the wave of claws and fangs, however with the last of his strength Archer managed to partially break free.

In its final struggle, a hand reached out of the storm of black, reaching blindly for help. Among the people who awaited his arrival in the safety of the house, Shirou was the first to extend a helping hand, rushing out of safety to pull him in. Their hand touched only for a moment, before Shirou realized that he was being pulled backward as Archer's hand was entirely consumed by darkness.

**Einzbern**** Castle, Fuyuki City (19.07PM)**

"Worry not Illya. I'm sure my Servant will finish the job in no time" Johann sat cross-legged in a carved wooden chair, facing a Victorian bed that contained a young girl inside its veil. His left hand held a cup of wine that he raided from the storage underneath the castle.

"I'm not talking to you." Mumbled Illya as she hugged a pillow close to her body. Her maid Leysritt stood closely by her side. Expressionless as always, but a closer inspection would show traces of her concern for the girl.

"I believe you just did my dear sister." Johann said as he finished draining the whole glass.

"….." Illya turn sideway to purposefully avoid looking at her relative.

"Silent treatment? You know it only works on people that give a damn about your well being? As for me I truly appreciate your silence." Johann sneered as he tapped the table for more wine. Illya's other servants, Sella, reluctantly approached to attend his need.

"…"

"Still sour that I took the initiative to get rid of your target? It makes me think that the elder decision to give Berserker to you is an unfortunate waste of talent. If only the warrior belongs to me." Johann replied to her silence and sighed heavily, contemplating the vast possibility that would open just by having such an exceptional Servant at his command. Alas, he was interrupted amidst his musing.

"I believe that is enough _master_. The young miss doesn't seem to be appreciating your remark." Sella flatly stated. Her voice betrayed a hidden animosity toward to the man whom she regarded as master with poison laced tone.

"Shut your trap, doll. No one ask your opinion." Johann barked at the homunculus who seemed to take no effect from his word and returned to her usual silence. The action greatly irritated Johann who proceeded to slap her down for defiance. "It seems that you wench needs some training. I'll gladly give it to you."

"Don't you dare touch them or else…" Illya snapped, abandoning her passive stance.

"Or else what? Did you already forgotten that you can't order Berserker to attack me." Johann laughed raucously at the girl. To prevent them from killing each other before the plan's completion, the elder made each of them use a command spell to forbid such order from being given to their Servant.

"Nghhh." A web of intricate glyphs started to form on Illya's body as she peeked out of the veil that covered her bed in an attempt to gain eye contact with him.

"And unfortunately those eyes of yours only affect amateurs and idiots. As far as I can see I'm neither."

"NGHHH." Illya let out another groan of dissatisfaction.

"What now? Try to shriek my ears off with your shrilly voice?" Johann laughed again before he was forced to stop as a certain warrior stand protectively between him and Illya.

"Berserker." Illya whispered gratefully. Even if the warrior had lost his mind, he still watched for his Master's safety on the subconscious level and Johann's harassment was starting to bother him.

"Yeah, yeah that's nice and all, but what's the point when he can't even harm the thinnest strand of my hair." Johann said and mockingly approached the warrior, only to stop after his first step.

Even if he knew that no apparent danger was present, standing face to face with one of the strongest warriors to ever roam the Earth wasn't a pleasant experience, especially when he wasn't on your side. Every fiber of Johann being, which instinctively understood the difference in their ability in an instant, was persuading him to refrain from enraging this giant.

"Tch, I'll let you off for today." Johann spat and indignantly left the room. His inside was bubbling with rage but there was nothing much he could do. Harming the girl was out of question, especially when her Servant was around guarding its beloved Master. There was no question that he would truly enjoy killing her. He just only needed to wait and survived until the time is right.

**Emiya Residence (19.07 PM)**

"LET ME GO." Shirou shouted as he watched Archer's hand disappeared in the wave of black. His body unwillingly forced back out of the harm's way and out of Archer's reach by Samael's grip at the collar of his shirt.

"Quit struggling." Samael roared and threw Shirou back in to the house where Saber caught him midair. For a few moments Samael fended off any bats foolish enough to enter his arm range, retreated back, and slammed the door shut.

"What are you doing? They won't last a minute like this." In his rage, Shirou confronted Samael.

"My priority is to ensure your safety not anyone else's." Samael replied in a neutral tone, despite the fact that he just left two people to their demise. "Rescuing them would prove to be an unnecessary risk."

"We can't just let them die." Shirou said through gritted teeth.

"I can, if it means you won't go waltzing to your death." Samael countered, refused to be convinced. Both men came to a nonviolent face off, trying to stare down the other.

"It doesn't matter what you say I can't just stand around and do nothing." Shirou, remaining firmed in his defiance, was about to dash outside but was held back by Samael. However with the wound stripping away the control of his right arm, Shirou managed to shake off the offending hand on his shoulder. Wasting no more time, Shirou darted to door.

"Abel, stop him!" Seeing that he was no longer in a suitable position to restrain Shirou, Samael gave an immediate order. However, despite hearing it loud and clear, Abel still hadn't move. Not because of physical limitation but because his limbs were hampered by the feeling of uncertainty that arise from his inability to side with either man in this sudden dilemma. That slight moment of hesitation was more than enough for Shirou to exploit.

"SHIESSE! Godd-" Samael roared at this unexpected turn of event before the door was slammed and shut out his voice.

* * *

Darkness.

That was all Rin could see under Archer's limp body that temporarily shielded her from the surrounding onslaught. Being pin against the ground and this living meat shield, the beasts had to first work through the cover to gain access to her flesh. However it also worked against her in a sense that her movement was severely restricted by the weight that pressed against her body, rendering escape to no longer be a viable option. Not that she could, in any wildest possibility, fathom physically dragging them both in safety anyway.

The feeling of entrapment caused a sudden pain of betrayal to flare through her mind before it was quelled by cold logical acceptance._ Of course, what do I expect? No Master would venture through this risk to rescue a potential enemy_.

Resigning herself to the impossibility of receiving help from her allies, she began to assess the situation with all possible calmness that a person in such situation could have. She took a small glimpse at the command spell on her right hand to affirm that death's merciless grip has yet to visit the bowman. However the constant flutter that echoed in her ears made it clear that his feeble grasp on life would soon slip into nothingness. The knowledge strengthen her determination that it was up to her alone to save them both from this peril

Her left hand, dampened by perspiration, clutched the smooth cut texture magically charged gems that she stashed for such situation, each holding enough power to literally blow a house away. The beasts would stand no chance against such a power. However using them in this situation may be quite a gamble. Even if one will be used entirely to cushion impact of the blast, it is doubtful that they would survive it with her frailty and his injury. Still, a chance no matter how small is better than having none.

The grip in her hand tightened as she was about to fuel the jewels to released their stored energy. However, before she can finish the process, the sudden transformation of the surrounding noise from predatory screeches to cries of panic put a pause to her plan with the need to reassess the situation. The newfound development revived her hope of being rescued, although the realization that it may merely turned out to be a delusion caused her to refrain from slackening her grip around the jewel. However her intuition couldn't have been any closer to perfect.

It wasn't long before the darkness that covered her sight melted away hurriedly as the bats scattered away for their lives. Before her were Shirou, Saber, and exasperated looking Samael. Without word, Shirou lifted her on his back as Samael roughly dragged her Servant back to the house while Saber kept the flock at bay. The deadly arc she drew in the air repelled the flock with grim efficiency. Seeing that everyone else had return to safety, Saber herself gradually retreated until the door can be pushed shut to cage the beasts out once again.

The ease in which their suicidal attempt at rescue turned out to be a success struck the more experience among their group as a total surprise. However in face of the more pressing matter regarding Archer's condition, none has the chance to voice out or dwell on this feeling. Still, at the very least, they indulged in few gratuitous moments toward the fact that their reckless rescue attempt hadn't turn awry and left them at the beasts' mercy.

The sight of light-filled foyer provided a physical confirmation to the fact that they had survived. The fluorescent light filtering from the bulbs overhead provided a stark contrast toward the merciless darkness of the outside porch, a courtesy of Abel who took the chance while the three ventured outside. Nevertheless, Samael shot a momentary dissatisfied glare at his partner, but ultimately decided to leave matter for later to focus on the injured pair.

"His injury is lethal." Saber observed as she glanced at the figure of Archer reddened with numerous wounds after Samael carelessly plopped him on the wall. Under the light, their wounds were inspected more thoroughly. In contrast to her Servant, the extent of Rin's injury was minor except for the fear that made her turn pale white. Archer had done a fine job of protecting her, however at his own expense.

"We should at least give him first aid." Shirou said as he was about to go to retrieve the said item.

"Don't bother. Even an ambulance won't do much good to him let alone first aid." Samael said. His statement put a sudden stop to Shirou's movement as the younger Master turned to glare at him.

"Then what do you suggest that we do. Just watch him die?" Shirou spat bitterly.

The action earned no response from Samael, although Abel seemed to be affected by the word die. Tossing an apologetic glance to Samael, Abel began to speak in a guilty tone. "Perhaps I can help."

The offer caught Shirou by surprise, expecting that neither Burier will extend a helping hand. In both gratitude and displeasure, Shirou turned the Burier only to find him finished loading a new cartridge and aimed his weapon at Archer's motionless body. Caught off guard by this sudden hostility, no one could react before the bang of gunfire erupted from its muzzle. The bullet, traveling faster than eyes could see, put an abrupt stop Archer's struggling heave to draw in breath. His skidded down along the wall by its impact to lay motionless on the ground.

"What have you done?" The unexpected violence caused Shirou to pounce on Abel, demanding his explanation. "Even if he is mortally injured, it doesn't mean that you can kill him."

Although the Burier was somewhat taller than Shirou, his focus on Archer's condition and lean physique allowed him to be pinned against the wall with ease. "Ow, please calm down."

"How can I be calm? With proper medication, we still could save him." Shirou continued his accusation to which Abel had no verbal response. In an attempt to justify his cause, Abel pointed toward the fallen body of Archer. Curious, Shirou followed the guide of his finger which was pointed at an ongoing development that eluded his attention.

Archer's body was glowing from inside out as if a lantern had been placed inside his bowel. The light pulsated rhythmically along with the bowman's faint heartbeat, gently gleamed in one moment and faintly dimmed in the next. Yet this bizarre condition allowed his body to visibly relax as his flesh was stitching itself together. By the time that Shirou take a look, most of his wounds had disappeared, leaving only the more severe ones as small scratches.

"He is merely exhausted. This magic drew upon the energy of its host to fuel the process of regeneration. With such severe injuries it will be sometime before he can get back on his feet." Abel quickly explained before anyone else mistook Archer to be dead.

"Why the sudden change of heart, didn't you oppose the idea about saving them." Shirou challenged Samael for this apparent contrast in their course of action.

"Do not misunderstand. I have no qualm with saving them now that the circumstance is different. Wasting one of those bullets in his stockpile wouldn't worsen our situation, however dragging them away from the flock means exposing all of us to unnecessary risk." Samael replied monotonously. Obviously, he wasn't in the mood for further query.

"How is he doing?" Rin wheezed out uneasily, still shaken from her recent near death experience.

"Well, as I have said before, his life is no longer in danger and, considering that he is a heroic spirit, it shouldn't be long until he regains consciousness. However combat would still be impossible for quite sometime I'm afraid." Abel reported. "So now w-"

THUD!

A loud crash resounded through out the house and cut Abel in the middle of his sentence. Except for some degree of agitation that it brings, the assault was unable to achieve its intended purpose.

"Are they trying to break in?" Rin asked in panic.

"Eventually, but not now, this is simply to intimidate us. He wouldn't dare to send them in here this very moment." Samael answered while trying to make a number off his wristwatch that was half caked by dried blood. "Why don't we have a talk? It will be a while before they can attack us in the light. There is some crucial information that I wish to share."

Saber glanced uneasily at the window to see that with an exception of the few that assume the role of creating commotion, the main mass of the flock had retreated to a safer distance. It seemed what the Burier said was true, the beasts were afraid of light. But for how long will it be enough to keep them safe. She pondered the question uneasily as she followed Shirou into the room, leaving the Buriers to be the last to enter.

However, before Abel can make his entry into the room, Samael pulled him aside for a short query. "Is there any left?"

Immediately knowing what item his partner referred to, Abel shook his head. "None, I haven't made more recently and my last batch was just used on Saber-san."

"Figures, otherwise you would already have used it before we are cornered in here," Samael sighed exasperatedly, "Any chance of making more in time."

"I-I will try, but, since I don't really have the right tools with me, some of them might just go dud an-"

"Enough, just make no mistake." Samael cut Abel's excuse off to bring an abrupt end to their conversation. With a reassuring hand on Abel's hand, Samael pushed his partner into the room where the occupants were starting to become impatient. "Get to work then. I'll handle explaining things to them."

The weight of this responsibility strained Abel's posture to a slouch as he settled on one of the empty seats. It wasn't as if what Samael asked of him was unreasonable. He just simply doesn't cope well in situations where pressures are forced upon him. Still, seeing that it may be their best chance to gamble on, he wasn't about to complain. With the improvised tools in both hands, Abel became lost from his surrounding as his attention was entirely focus on the task at hand.

* * *

Once each person found their respective seat in the living room, Samael immediately began his explanation. "Firstly, I think it would do us good to distinguish him from the fictional character of the same name, and before you would ask any question. Yes, he is a vampire in genuine flesh and blood, just not the one in Bram Stoker's work of fiction. Actually, it would have been for the better if he is for the atrocity of this Vlad Dracula just makes Bram Stoker's count seems like a child in comparison."

The Burier's knowledge of their current opponent raised a number of question among the listeners, albeit most of which were their kept in their mind. Only Saber seemed to have enough distrust of the, to voice her suspicion aloud. "More importantly, I believe you should elaborate on how you are so acquainted with this Servant?"

"I don't think it is that strange considering our line of job. There are detailed records of him back in our HQ written by the Buriers at that time, detailing from his life before becoming a vampire and the ability that he possesses as one."" Nudged by Samael, Abel chimed in to answer in his partner's stead.

Being initially withdrawn from the conversation, it took sometime before he could turn his attention away and stop fiddling with the delicate object held between his thumb and index finger along with another few seconds needed before he could think of a justification for this argument. His lack of concentration toward the matter they were discussing, however, went generally unnoticed by the group who prioritize themselves over the issue with Dracula.

"So does that answer your question or would you like us to travel back toVaticanto fetch the physical copy of the document." Samael asked in an apparent sarcastic tone. To his satisfaction, Saber grumblingly withdrew her charge. "Anyway, Vlad Dracula or, as he was better known, the Impaler was most likely promoted to the rank of a heroic spirit through his prowess in warfare that led to series of success in repelling Ottoman's invasion of Eastern Europe. However, nowadays, I believe he is more infamous through the brutal method of execution that he adopted..."

The trailing silence caused Rin to urge him on with a question. A mixture of disgust and curiosity in her was raised after hearing the word brutal, albeit with curiosity as the dominant one between the pair. "Why don't tell us then? Perhaps, it might give an insight to his ability."

"Without making it improper, let's just say that it involves lots of Turkish prisoners, lots of wooden stakes, and penetrations through their lower orifice along the spinal column until it exit at the upper. However, if that ambiguity is not to yours satisfaction, I can give an account of the act in graphic detail at a more appropriate setting, of course."

"...Just forget that I asked," Rin quickly retracted her question after the tidbits of components that Samael divulged fit together to form a gruesome scene in her mind.

"Much obliged," Samael chuckled at Rin's reaction to his offer, before continuing, "Inhumanely cruel it may be, but this method proved to be an asset as psychological warfare tactic. The exhausted Ottoman army that just marched across the Danube would literally find forest of corpses lying in wait between them andWallachia. The sight of their comrades with stake of poking through their rectum was enough to send most of the Turks running back, screaming for their life. Still, this tactic brought along an unintended consequence that led to his ultimate downfall."

"Go on."

"None of comrades see eyes to eyes with him on this brutal tactics that he employed. Eventually, he found himself betrayed, broke, and arrested for treason. The account of his life during captivity was vague, but it was for certain that when he left the prison whatever shred of his humanity he used to possess was no more."

"And thus he became a vampire." Archer concluded.

"We suspected ritual magic, although how he managed to pull one of in such condition is indeed the heart of this mystery. Still, it would take quite a strong True Ancestor[1] to create a vampire of his caliber. From then on, there are points of discrepancy between the actual historical account and-"

"Excuse my interruption, but I believe we should move on to a more practical matter. Although we may still have time, it is not so plentiful as to be wasted with idle chitchat." Saber cut Samael short in the middle of his sentence. Her interruption caused Samael to realize that he was trailing off topic.

"No, your interruption is appreciated. It is, well, only logical and I meant that as a compliment." Samael said as he returned to the matter at hand, appearing somewhat shameful at his lack of focus. "As I have mentioned before, we suspected that he made a contract with a devil through the affinity that darkness that he possesses."

"You mean the contract made them grew stronger in darkness and night." Saber continued Samael's statement.

"Correct, since the term devil denotes supernatural being that is strongly affiliated with darkness. He probably inherited some of his contract master's ability. As a result, both his and his familiars' strength will grow in a cycle that starts at midday and end at the midnight where it reaches the peak and decline begins."

"That is to say the closer it is to midnight, the lower our chance of survival. I think this is why they withheld their attack for the time being, is it?" Archer asked, rejoining the conversation.

"Almost but no, the real reason is more of the complementing weakness of this ability, light. However, on contrary of most believe, even at his weakest state, the damage should be nothing more than slight burn on Dracula but, on his familiar, it is lethal. They can be killed once a certain amount of brightness is reach, thus he dares not sent them in this very moment" Samael paused while making sure he still had his audience attention.

"So why don't Dracula himself come in here and attack us?" Shirou asked, nervously glancing at the window as if the man himself would soon come crashing through one of them.

"I believe he has no reason to, because the mainstream believes omit the detail that they actually possess a certain level of resistance to this weakness, which grows proportionately with their strength. Now, since we are trapped in here, he simply needs to loiter around until it's late enough into the night before he can send the flock in here to the finish the hunt."

The room was silent as Samael ended his explanation and plopped back down in his seat. The weight of the new information sunk their spirit with the apprehension. Unsure of their next move, it was Saber who first spoke up after a time.

"How much time do we have left?"

"Uncertain, couple of hours at best,"

"Then I believe we should start by assessing our current fighting capability." As veteran, Saber remained calm even when confronted by this approaching peril. "Before we deciding on our next course of action its best that we know where we are in term of strength."

"Count me out then." Archer said, still lying flat on the ground, lacking even the strength to pull his body up into a seating position.

"That should go without saying." Rin expressed her agreement.

"Also, it would be good if you count me as a noncombatant." Samael added.

"How pitiful, to think that you would back down this early just after you volunteered to protect Shirou," Saber scoffed.

"It certainly is a shame but I believe I do have a valid excuse for it," Samael replied.

To justify his claim, he painlessly removed the jacket that clung heavily to his skin with thick body fluid that seeped out of his right shoulder. Beneath the concealing black leather, a hole was revealed in Samael's flesh right underneath his collar bone. Its opening was ripped through his chest nearly an inch wider than actual cavity as a result of the reckless move that he performed while the sword was still embedded in his flesh. Despite its severity, there wasn't a single droplet of blood that could be spotted. However the sickly black ooze that was secreted in its place made it apparent that it would have been better if the injury was bleeding normally. The infectious grey ib his albno opale skin that contrasted sharply the wound's inflamed red also did nothing but reinforced this fact.

"As you can see, the complication is that his weapon seems to be imbued with the same vampiric curse that he possesses. In this sense, a wound that it inflicts is roughly equivalent to his bite."

"So a single wound from it will turn you into one of them?" Shirou asked. Although this effect was unintentional, this dangerous implication got everyone in the room to inch uncomfortably away from Samael.

"Not in the strictest sense. After working for so long in this line of job, we, Buriers, possessed a natural antibody against such vampiric curse, so turning into one of his kin is the least of my worry. My point showing this repulsive sight is to prove that I'm incapable of taking part in this fight as the amount of strain on my body will limit me to the simplest of movements." Samael said guiltily. "It was careless of me not to speculate this possibility. I apologize."

"We'll have to do with who ever are still in shape for fighting, which, I believe, are one of you Burier and I." Saber continued. "In this case, the next thing we have to decide on now is our next course of action."

"Let's see. Standing ground in here until they come in would be suicide. It is impossible for two fighters to protect four people in that circumstance. Breaking out is not an option either, there is no where for us to run to and we can't hope to out run the flock for long with our injuries." Archer contemplated aloud.

"Then that's mean we only have one option. Defeat the one who control the beasts before they are strong enough to come in. Risky but, as far as I can see, probably our best option." Samael commented before turning to address his partner. "Abel, anything good comes up yet? I know your hands isn't the only part that was on the move."

"Umm, ahh." The sudden question caused Abel to fidget nervously with indecision.

"Spit it out, kid. Don't make me force it out of you."

"Well, I think I have one, but it is quite risky, so, well, may be not." Faced with Samael's potentially violent coercion, Abel replied with a trace of uncertainty lingering in his voice.

"Why don't you tell us? At the very least, it would not worsen our situation," Saber said both chastising his indecision and sternly encouraging him at the same time.

"Well, alright, I suppose it won't make things any worse..."

* * *

"No, Absolutely not." Rin refused sharply a millisecond after Abel finished the explanation of his plan.

"Don't be so hasty. Why don't you consider it a little more...thoroughly?" Samael, who apparently agreed with Abel's idea, persisted to change her opinion.

"No, it's fine. The plan itself is flawed and there's a lot of risk involve, so it probably is not a good course of..." Despite being the one who suggested it, the growing wave of self doubt caused Abel to profusely discredit his own plan. However an intimidating glare from Samael caused his voice to wane and finally died out.

"I still insist that we should take it. There's no point in sitting duck in here." Apparently, Samael's enthusiasm in supporting the plan was not shared by anyone. In an attempt to convince him of the risk involved, Archer was to speak up.

"Now, now let's don't get ahead of ourselves shall we? I understand that we are under the constraint of time but it is better not to be hasty. If it is truly as you said, there is still sufficient time for us to refine this idea or propose some…." The light flickered once.

"…alternatives," then twice.

Every eyes in the room immediately darted to the ceiling to observe the behavior of their sole source of protection. Their heart sank as it flickered for the third time.

"Why the hell now?" "Der Hurensohn." "Ahh, crap."

A chorus of choiced profanity pierced through the growing darkness as the light faded after its last flicker. Soon, the unfeeling night engulfed them in its merciless embrace...

* * *

1. True Ancestor - A type of vampiric nature spirits with power of exceptional magnitude. Although the sighting of them are rare and far in between, they are believed to be the main culpirt responsible for conversion of humans into powerful vampires.

Please review. I appreciate every constructive criticism, advice, or any short comment. Thanks!


	9. The Innocent Blunder

**Emiya House (19.59 PM) **

Dracula remained on the lookout as his minions moved into their respective positions to breach the house, that was now flooded with darkness. His form had reverted to that of a human, after his transformation was undone by the agony that inflicted upon his left hand.

The sensation that this memory invoked caused Dracula to gently rub the stump that only a few minutes ago was still attached to a hand. Although the initial wave of pain had subsided, the spot was still fairly sore to the touch with the lingering remnant of the agony that flared upon every slightest pressure. Suppressing a shudder, he forced himself to reject the possibility of being intimidated by a mere human.

That statement, however, might not be entirely correct, as the power that Samael had displayed made the words "mere human" a poor choice to describe him.

Unlike normal attacks, that caused death by destroying the target's physical form, Samael did the complete opposite in killing his opponent. His magic energy was made in a way that it could imitate death in the form of a natural phenomenon to its perfect likeness. By engulfing his victims with this phenomenon, he could simply force their existence to cease even if no physical damage had been inflicted.

Still, as a natural mechanism to protect humans against their own mortality, the victim of this technique usually found their mind wracked by pure agony which was meant to spur their last-ditch escape from death, but, more often than not, the pain invoked in this manner proved to be counterproductive for their survival. The pure agony of being submerged in death was too intense for all but the most resilient to endure, reducing their struggle to no more than mindless spasms.

To save himself from the risk of experiencing another episode of such agony, the vampire decided to leave this remaining duty to his lesser minions. Still, even without his personal guidance, all the advantages that they currently possessed would allow the beasts' animalistic brains to finish the hunt fairly quickly.

The sudden loss of light that the preys naively relied upon would allowed them to be caught by surprise with his assault that came much earlier than what they'd anticipated.

True enough, he wouldn't dare sent the flock directly under the glaring light at this hour but the source of such feeble protection was easy to be eliminated. With several sacrifices, the power cable leading directly to the Emiya household was severed. Seizing the advantage of the situation, Dracula decided to pull a closing curtain on this hunt.

Immediately after a snap of his fingers, simultaneous sounds of shattering glasses broke through the night. Spurred by the thought of receiving their long awaited meal, torrents of bats frantically flooded down the house from every direction.

Being completely overtaken by darkness, not even the slightest speck of light was left in this overrun dwelling. This minor hassle proved to be no obstacle for the horde as they scarcely relied on their sight for navigation. However, in contrast to their ordinary counterparts, these beasts of the night didn't depend on echolocation to locate their prey. Both methods proved to be too ineffective and were abandoned in favor of a more advance skill granted by their contractor, the ability to detect living being via mana.

Although invisible to naked eyes and intangible to bare skin, all living things contained this form of energy, which spontaneously released and refilled in a cycle much like many other body functions. Finding these tiny figments of stray energy and tracing them back to their owner was how this method of detection worked. Despite this ability being a mainstream form of detection among the magi, Dracula took this it to a whole new level, exceeding them all in both thoroughness and range.

As Dracula's flock was armed with the ability and superior numbers, the possibility of the preys escaping was practically nonexistent. Even if, in their last resistance, the preys attempted to elude his detection lowering the output of magic energy that their bodies generated, it would ultimately prove futile.

There was little doubt that the Buriers would possess the knowledge of his ability and instructed the group to exploit its sole flaw, alas it mattered little to them. Although this poor attempt at concealment would make it harder for them to be tracked via supernatural means, the possibility of them physically slipping through without alerting the surrounding flock was nothing short of absurd.

Although the extent of their struggle was admirable, it would accomplish nothing but forestalling the inevitable. For even the most skilled magus could hide their power by so much, and the release of odo, no matter how minor, still allowed them to be tracked down. With his superior senses, it wasn't long before Dracula could locate several energy sources in the living room. However he wasn't about to immediately divulge such information to his flock for, once in a while, he takes joy in letting them strive for their reward as a father would his children.

Although not quite as sharp as their pack leader, the beasts were making steady progress in their search. The foyer was quickly determined to be clear of inhabitance and was soon followed by the bath. The flock went past the bedroom after making sure no one had attempted to hide in the cupboard. The dojo was scanned clear in the same fashion.

As the flock approached the last remaining room, Dracula's lip stretched upward as a father would when he sees his children opening their birthday present. However his anticipating grin was soon wiped from his face when he realized that his senses had just made a severe error.

Two. That was the number of humans who occupied the room. With the exception of Archer, who remained on the ground in deficit of strength, and Samael, who was propped against the nearby wall, the rest had disappeared as if they'd vanished into thin air.

The current development allowed Dracula to conclude that the two injures were left as decoys, while the rest used the opportunity to slip by his detection. Yet a question remained about the means of their escape for, surely, they could not slip away without his notice.

The dejected screech of his minions brought him out of his contemplation. Resigning to the fact that two grown men would make a sufficient meal for them, he decided to bring this hunt to its closure. The flock didn't need to be told twice, after receiving his order. They all swooped down on what would soon be their meal.

Their assault was interrupted by metallic rattles that echoed across the room, as a number of steel cylinders were launched into the air by a flick of Samael's wrist, each no bigger than a peanut.

Obviously underestimating the lethality of these seemingly harmless items, Dracula gave the signal for the flock to carry on with the assault, confident that they could finish their prey off before the cylinders could fulfill their intended purpose.

Once again, his blind confidence couldn't have been any more inaccurate.

Seeing the flock flying right into his trap was enough to bring a smirk to Samael's face, like a devious predator that had just captured an equally cunning prey.

"Sloppily made at best and without a barrel or a trigger. Well, at least we have angels on our side." In preparation for the optimum detonation time, Samael abandoned the façade of being crippled by his injured shoulder and stood against the swooping beasts.

Although the clue that he divulged allowed Dracula to realize the objects' identity, the mental tendrils of warning that he extended toward his flock were not nearly fast enough to save them. Before they could react to his message, the cartridges were ignited by Samael's magic energy, which replaced the usual triggering mechanism that happened inside the barrels. The engulfing heat was concentrated in a series of interlinking runic alphabets that was earlier carved onto the bullet casing by Abel's nimble hands.

With both energy and pathway requirements for the spell satisfied, the beasts had no escape as blinding flashes erupted out of the metallic container. The fierce bursts of light stayed for no longer a split second but after they died down, none of the beasts were still airborne. Most were incinerated and the rest were impaired as the blast of sound waves exceeding 170 decibels assailed their delicate hearing organs.

Standing near a glass door that served as one of the light's outlets, Dracula's skin was badly seared by the light. Although his injuries were not nearly as severe as his completely scorched familiars', the burns on his exposed face and hands were enough to make him howl in pain. Staggering away from the light and his enemy, he unknowingly triggered the second part of the trap.

In the next moment of confusion, Dracula found him to be face to face with Saber, who seemed to appear out of thin air. Determined to finish him off in that instant, she swung Excalibur down in a deadly arc.

CLANG!

He barely blocked the blade in time as her downward stroke soon continued into a flurry of slashes. Struggling just to defend himself from her blade, it wasn't long before the difference in their skill became apparent as Saber made quick work of his resisting scimitar and gained a clear opportunity to sever his head.

The blade penetrated the first layer of his skin but no more. It continued to slip harmlessly through an opening created as Dracula's form was dispersed into a cloud of winged beasts.

Without a buffer in the form of an enemy's body to balance the weight she discharged in the swing, Saber staggered forward. The opening wasn't wasted. They assaulted her before she had a chance to regain balance, inflicting multiple scratches and a deep wound in her left calf and right bicep. After accomplishing their attack, they pulled a quick retreat away from her sword's range and combined once again into one body.

"Just as planned."

The satisfied remark caused Dracula to snap his head backward toward its source. Filling his vision was a partly invisible Abel who advanced past the effective range of the scimitar's into the range of his own dagger.

With a quick movement of his right arm, the Burier thrust the weapon forward at Dracula's torso. However, being too sure of the vampire's inability to counterattack in such close range, Abel failed to perceive a sudden movement of the scimitar. Although his advance prevented him from falling prey to the blade, he wasn't safe from the hilt that can be used to strike at a much closer distance. As a result, Abel was easily brought down with a thud as Dracula leapt back to safety once again.

"Such a simple tactic, I'm not so foolish as to fall for it twice," Dracula scoffed. The similarity with the tactic that they'd used against him in the initial face-off allowed the second attack to be been anticipated in the moment he found himself retreating from the first.

"Hahhhh." Being the last fighter standing on this side, Saber vigorously continued her attack, as if she saw a flaw or weakness. Dracula, however, interpreted this as a sign of anxiety as she was the only one standing between him and her defenseless comrades. Still, despite her aggressiveness, the wounds in her limbs significantly marred her ability to match his level.

On the other hand, Dracula was not in a hurry to end this fight. He calmly observed her move for the time that she would unleash her next deathblow, for he intended to utilize the opening that it would create. No matter its strength and orientation, eliminating a whole scattering flock of bats was nigh impossible with a single stroke of sword. With this thought in mind, he aimed to end the fight by using the opening to sever her carotid artery.

A slight shift in Saber's stance warned Dracula of the move that would soon follow. In response to the vampire's ability, instead of utilizing a slower sideway swing, Excalibur was positioned parallel to the ground as Saber's greaves made a strong clunk to launch her body forward like an arrow.

Anticipating the moment for counterattack, Dracula drew upon his pool of magic energy to escape her accelerating blade. Alas he soon discovered an unexpected obstacle. As if a huge boulder had tightly established itself on every pathway leading to the reserve of his magic energy, the trickles that could be squeezed past it were not nearly enough to fuel the transformation process. Panicking, he tried to dodge, but the sword was much faster.

"Unfortunately, neither are we such fools to fall for the same trick twice." Abel, who was still unable to lift his body off the ground, managed to croak out with a triumphant grin.

It was the last thing Dracula could hear before Excalibur pierced through his plate armor to gain access to the soft tissue of his abdomen. The strength of the blow forced a stream of blood and body fluids out of his stomach with a bloody gurgle.

Seeing the fatal damage done on her opponent, Saber retracted her blade and left his convulsing form to collapse to the ground. She gave her sword another strong swing to remove the stain of Dracula's foul blood with a gust of wind.

"Did you take him down?" Abel inquired as he struggled to support himself upward. Both of his hands were placed on his wobbly legs to give them a firmer hold on the ground. The impact that was done to his head still impaired his sense of balance.

"Yes, partly thanks to your effort," Saber replied curtly. Unable to get rid of a strange feeling regarding their victory, she squinted her eyes to take a closer inspection of Dracula's unmoving body.

"Well, at least, no one died on our side. Then again, we should check on the rest to make sure," Abel said as he groggily started toward the house with Saber trailing behind, after she decided to drop the matter. Taking extra care not to step on broken glass, they slid the door away to reveal two occupants, Samael who was inspecting the wound on his shoulder, and Archer, who in deficit of strength, still remained on the ground.

"How are you guys doing?"

"As good as any person who set off those cartridges less than a meter from his face can be," Samael informed, appearing to be in a daze. "Joke aside, I'm fine. Most of the infection is dealt with but my ear is ringing like it's a church bell."

"Aren't we all?" said the equally dazed Archer.

'That's what you get for taunting an enemy instead of covering your ears after you set them off," Abel said teasingly.

"Watch it angel boy. Next time you may get a taste of one waking you up instead of an alarm clock."

"Well, that's something I'd rather not experience."

"And, see, it wasn't so bad was it? Those cartridges worked fine without going dud. Told you we have an angel on our side."

"Perhaps so, but this angel can't guarantee that luck will remain on our side the next time we try something this risky," Abel weakly responded, unable to share his partner's optimism.

"Then I say that he should try to keep up his good work because there'll be plenty of times we are going to face that kind of risk in this war."

"Umm, excuse me for interrupting your banter, but can you please take this off?" Shirou's voice rang out from the desolate corner of the room. The speaker, however, wasn't present.

"Oh right, sorry." Abel hurried to the corner and extended his hand out. He seemed to have touched nothing at first but, with a graze of his finger, the empty space melded and scattered into glittering particles to reveal the figure of Shirou underneath the camouflage.

"What was that you put on us?" Shirou asked as he stretched his aching limbs to alleviate the cramp that was creeping up their length.

"Cloak of solidified mana," Abel carefully answered not to divulge any more detail than necessary. He moved to the other end of the room and gently touched the blank space, which become warped upon his contact. The white of the wall refracted and blended with the light yellow of the tatami mat. The unnatural swirl of color soon disappeared as it burst into glittering dust to reveal Rin, who was safely tucked in another corner of the room.

As soon as Rin was freed was from the confining sheet of mana, she followed Shirou's suit and started stretching her limbs. Despite just passing through a life threatening experience, her eyes shown a glitter of scholarly interest. "Regarding that ability of yours, I would be grateful if you can tell us some more details about it."

With a small reluctant pause to judge the extent of information that he could safely impart, Abel continued explaining after a quick observation revealed that she wasn't in need of healing. "Since it is purely created from natural energy, the cloak can fool those who see it that we are a part of the natural setting. Basically, it just something camouflages both your physical body and energy emission. That's why Dracula couldn't realize that we were hiding in here all along."

"That part I do understand but there is just another small portion of your ability that doesn't seem to exactly fit with my knowledge of magic."

"Y-Yes? Um, w-what part might it be?" Abel started to have a bad feeling about Rin's statement.

"Earlier when you wove that cloak, you didn't seem to be using any incantation and, without a magic circuit, you surely didn't your own energy to fuel the spell, sooo would you to tell me how you use them?" Rin asked in her sweetest tone.

"I-I can't tell you that." Cursing mentally that the earlier situation couldn't allow his unique spell casting process to escape her notice, Abel started to back down from her demand. "I-It's the church's secret, so we c-can't let anyone else know."

"It's not like telling me will do any harm." Rin pursued as he retreated.

"Hey, Samael, help me out here." Abel glanced over his shoulder to find support. However, after shifting his eyes around the room a few more times, he started to realize something. "Wait, where's Samael?"

_How could this happen_? To think that mere humans could reduce the ruler of the night to such a state was unthinkable.

If Lady Luck hadn't smiled on their side then the only thing that awaited them would be inevitable demise. There was nothing he would love more than a chance to get revenge at those who laid waste to his well-planned attack. However as of present such thoughts were far from becoming reality. At least the fickle Lady seemed to turn her favor upon him by allowing them to still be blinded by his deception.

His chance would come again but certainly not in this moment. Persisting on in this situation would be too foolish a course of action to take. It was best that he lay low and slip away unnoticed. Outrunning them in his condition would pose a challenge but luckily he located the source of major discomfort that embedded in his upper torso.

He grabbed the offending material and pulled with all his strength. To his horror, it didn't even budge. Unwilling to surrender, he resumed the action with more intensity, hoping to see the sharp edge being removed from his flesh.

Clunk!

A heavy stomp on the dagger's hilt sheathed it back into the Dracula's flesh. "Well, it seems that another lecture is required before Abel would learn to take better care of his own dagger."

"ARGHH." The vampire reflexively howled as the dagger sank deeper into his torso, although the rippling surface of the inscribed alloy made it seem as if the solid blade was melting into his torso.

"Aww, quite an actor, aren't you?" Samael jeered as his left foot gave another vigorous stomp on the dagger. "Drop the act. This little toothpick lacks the slightest power to inflict pain and physical damage, as an exchange for its property to block pathways of magic energy. That's why you never noticed that it was embedded in your body this whole time until that sword got you good."

"You maggot." Dracula let out an indignant wheeze, apparently still alive but, at the same time, barely. Still, with bleeding from the cavity in his torso already slowed to stop, it seemed that more effort was necessary to snuff out the vampire's life.

"Save your breath. You will be screaming much more before I'm done with you." Samael pronounced the words like an executioner as he seized his victim by the throat. Raw instinctive fear seized control of Dracula's mind after a glance into Samael's death-like eyes, squeezing a terrified yawp from his throat.

With the Burier's right hand firmly positioned on his scalp, Dracula's mind was blurred by a sudden outburst of agony. The foul energy that rushed into his body from each fingertip induced a sensation that his blood was replaced by boiling acid.

Although his faint grasp on consciousness was gradually fading, his mind couldn't have mistaken the presence that seeped into his body. Twice had he tasted this inescapable horror when death overpowered his existence, yet neither experience made it easier for him to accept this sensation that seeped into his body.

He struggled, albeit briefly, as the strength was soon drained from his convulsing limbs. With pain stripping away his muscle control, his bladder could no longer perform its function and allowed the liquid inside to leak out in a puddle, effectively rendering him into this miserable state.

"Ashes to ashes, dusts to dus-"

"STOP!" An urgent scream caused Samael to turn around as Shirou's body left the nearby ground and was catapulted into his torso. Despite his sturdy build, the surprise from this attack cost Samael his balance. The strength in his grip was loosened, allowing the injured vampire to break free.

Learning from experience, the vampire gouged out a whole chunk of surrounding flesh along with the dagger that appeared to be magically attached to his flesh. As soon as he was free from this disability, he immediately underwent transformation.

"Shiesse! Stop him!" Seeing that the escape path was suddenly cleared for the vampire, Samael shouted.

Even before Samael's word reached his ears, Abel had noticed the current development and pulled the trigger frenziedly. With pain hampering their movement, many fell to the merciless hail of bullets but the remaining blended away with the obscuring darkness.

The group, which had followed the painful scream outside, stood frozen in the garden at this unexpected turn of events. Samael was the first to move, grabbing Shirou by his neck and suspending him above the ground due to their height difference.

"Do you-" Samael growled at Shirou with a touch of nearly uncontrollable rage. Only the feeble grip on his logical mind seemed to keep him from falling into the temptation of strangling Shirou outright. "Do you have any idea? Do you have any verdammt idea what you just did?"

"Samael," Abel warned as Saber gripped her sword.

"That's my line! With that injury, there is no need for you to kill him," Shirou fired back in anger. However his retort accomplished nothing but to sever Samael's already weakened link with his rational mind.

"Samael!" For the second time, Abel shouted, but like the first, it fell on deaf ears.

"So you think it is better to let him heal up and take his revenge on us! Huh? HUH?" Samael roared with a savage fury, leaving Shirou at the mercy of his rage. "Don't you dare tell me what to do when you don't have the slightest idea of the consequence. You think having a hole in its stomach is enough to take a vampire down for good? I tell you now, it's not. YOU HEAR ME? IT'S NOT."

"SAMAEL!JUST STOP ALREADY!" For the third time, Abel desperately hollered at the top of his lungs. Pestered by this interruption, Samael snapped his neck backward to rage at his partner. However a strange sight that filled his vision intercepted the words in his throat.

The first thing he saw was the white of a handgun's barrel, pointing at the middle of his head. Behind it was Abel, who tried to pull the gun away with a strained movement, however, to no avail. The dimly glowing command spell on his forearm allowed Samael to immediately deduce what had transpired in the few seconds when anger seized control of his rational mind.

The realization caused Samael immediately dropped Shirou to the ground. Once Shirou was out of harm's way, Abel tumbled forward like a marionette with its strings cut. His earlier struggle to regain the control of his body from the absolute command spell left him gasping heavily for air.

"I'm going after them. We'll switch by midnight." Realizing the unproductiveness of his anger, Samael attempted to reestablish logical control over his mind. Yet his voice was still partially tinged with the white hot rage that, as if possessing a will of its own, refused be quelled solely by his will power. Turning his back toward the group as to avoid showing them any more of his unsightly demeanor, Samael was about to leave for his hunt. However, blocking his path was the lone figure of Emiya Shirou.

"Wait, there is no need to kill him. His injury was severe enough to prevent him from causing anymore trouble. We don't even know if he will survive tonight," Shirou vehemently protested against the Burier's action only to receive weary silence in return.

Too exasperated with this new found complication, Samael decide to abandon his attempt to argue the younger man into seeing things his way. For a moment, this decision made it seem as if things would proceed on with no more clashes between the two men. However, irked by Samael's apparent disregard, Shirou unleashed his final blow. "I used to think that you were on our side. In the end, you are no different from him."

The last accusation froze Samael's legs as if struck by lighting bolt. His nearly extinguished flame of wrath was rekindled by this simple statement into a blazing wildfire. Turning to face Shirou, his eyes were lurid with a murderous gleam.

"If hunting down a helpless prey would degrade me to his level, so be it. But remember and remember it well that from this moment on you are entitle to everything single life that he will slaughter." Expending his anger on enunciating each and every syllable, Samael's voice was frigid cold instead of burning with rage to provide no spark for his suppressed rage. Otherwise, he would've struck Shirou down on the spot.

Having no more to say, Samael roughly shoved Shirou out of his way. The move was not intend to be aggressive, just a partial display of his displeasure. However it was enough to make Abel to shrink painfully as he suppressed another calling from the command spell to assault his own Master. Without so much as a glance backward, Samael's advancing figure soon receded under the wallowing darkness.

"You shouldn't have done that." Abel sighed as the bewildered Rin let out a big breath she was unconsciously holding and the ever-vigilant Saber released her grip on her unused sword.

"So you're also saying that I was wrong to let him go? I should've guessed, after all you're his partner," Shirou snapped.

"Umm, I think I need to correct you on that point," Abel soberly responded to Shirou's anger. "Although we are partners, Samael and I both have our individual views toward goods and evils. Personally, I also prefer to end conflict without any bloodshed, but you must realize that there are also situations in which such evil can turn into a necessity. It just so happens that of Dracula's is one of them."

"But still we could've-"

"Please, before you're going complain, I wish to let you hear our reason first." Abel continued wearily, after cutting Shirou off in the middle of his protest. "Well, Saber-san, initially, you suspected us for possessing the knowledge concerning Dracula as you rightfully are. It is very unlikely that a participant recognize one another's identity though appearance alone and, even as a Burier, we don't really have the luxury to learn about all vampires that were hunted in a few hundred years back. We already have hard enough time cramming the current hunting list into the small space in our brain. Not all Burier were trained to be scholar, you see."

"In that case, I assume you're going tell us why." Ignoring Abel's poor attempt to lighten up the mood, Saber urged him on.

"Umm, the case with Dracula is kind of, well, special. In a sense, it was one the few times that a vampire threat was inflated into a nation-wide scale and, possibly, global, if no intervention had been made by the Vatican. Although he was defeated in the end, the story serves as a reminder for Buriers throughout generations to the importance of their duty. We included, of course."

"If you don't mind clarifying, I am doubtful toward the scale of this incident, unless he was much stronger in his past reign. Without the element of surprise and a Master to protect, even I alone can handle him."

"No, no, your doubt is well placed. Although he is a capable fighter in his own right, his proficiency in combat isn't what demanded the state of emergency to be declared during his reign. The remaining factor is more involved with the reason why vampires in general are considered to be more of a threat than any other supernatural being."

"They have the ability to procreate sentient beings with magical aptitudes," Rin chimed in and answered.

"Exactly, although, in contrast to popular belief, not everyone who get bitten will turn into a vampire, actually, only a very few portion of them do. Most of the time, they are human with an ability for magic. The weaker ones will simply turn into dust as their body cannot withstand the sudden influx of magic energy that was transmitted from a vampire bite," Abel clarified. "It was due to this reason that the he was considered to be a major threat for, in comparison with other Dead Apostles, Dracula's fertility rate is the highest that our organization had encountered thus far."

"So how high is his so-called fertility rate?" Saber asked with a growing sense of apprehension toward the direction that the conversation was taking.

"Hundred," Abel hesitantly breathed the answer out.

"Percent? That's mean everyone he bit will turn into a vampire?" Staggered by the statistic, Rin asked as if to confirm her grim interpretation, hoping that it would turn out to be inaccurate. However, as her sharp wit had it, her interpretation doesn't turn out to be far from perfect.

"Most unfortunately, you are correct. When this fact is combined with his physical dependency on blood, it means that new vampires could be created on daily basis. Still, that is yet to be the worst part. Now imagine what would happen if this trait of his can be inherited by all of his vampires who are sent on nightly hunts along with him."

"T-that would be a burst in the population of vampires." Rin answered weakly. The knowledge of Dracula's ability to increase the number of his kin exponentially left them wide-eye in shock at its current implication.

"The man himself was patriotic, almost obsessively so, but his country, Wallachia, was corrupted to its core with nobles who seek nothing but to fill their purses with more coins."

"Typical, no matter how many years had passed, there can be no cure to human's greed." Saber softly mumbled. Her comment seemed to be drawn from experience.

"As such, Dracula could barely defend his country against the superior Ottoman army even with the terror that made him known as the Impaler. The betrayal from his ally after his first reign was the last straw. He became convinced that the fickle human's hearts are the termites that eat away the foundation of his country, thus he came to a conclusion."

"They must all be turned into his mindless blood sucking minions, who obey to his every command." Archer flatly answered.

"Well, that pretty much sums it up. In the end, the Vatican had to fabricate a story about a way with Ottoman to hide all of casualties that he inflicted..." Abel trailed off as he finished.

"So what now? We can't very well let him murder the entire town to form an army!"

"I don't know," Abel confessed. "Although it is our duty to eliminate such threats, I don't know how much of our strength can be spared while being involved in this war. Hopefully, the information network that exist nowadays will makes it easier for his activity to be detected"

An uneasy silence fell upon them as they wait for the weight of Abel's words to sink in. Its effect was severe on every listener but Shirou seemed to be the most appalled by this knowledge. His body shaking in frustration, Shirou proceeded to punch the ground to vent out some of this unpleasant emotion.

"Please don't blame yourself. It also is a mistake on our part for deeming this information to be too insignificant to tell you. Besides, this time we have a head start. It will takes some time for him to recover from such severe injury." Abel tried to console Shirou, although his empty encouragement wasn't capable of lifting Shirou's spirit out of this vortex of guilt and self blame.

_My fault? My fault? Is it my fault?_ A wave of nauseating self blame washed over Shirou. Despite its pure intention, the thought that his impulsive action would subject multitude of innocent bystanders to mortal danger sickened him to his very core. _ I just want to believe that everyone can be saved through my effort, but how can I, after what just happened? _

_If you were here, what would you've done in this situation... father? _

**Fuyuki City, Emiya Residence (0.00 PM) **

Samael returned from his unfruitful hunt at midnight sharp. As he had anticipated, only a few beasts were eliminated by his efforts, while the others would have escaped to their lair for recuperation. He didn't stay for long, stating that he had some business to attend to, as he quickly departed with Abel, who was about to take on his shift for the night.

Before he left, Samael pulled Shirou to the side and said softly so as not to let the others hear, "I apologize for not considering your circumstance. I would be grateful you can forget my outburst."

The apology took Shirou by surprise, deeming the man to not be a type that would easily grant him one. Still, it eased some of the bitter feeling toward the Burier that he recently acquired.

After giving Saber a few words about leaving Shirou to her protection and receiving a fiery retort, the two Buriers left the house.

**Fuyuki City (0.15 PM) **

Without the protection of the streetlights, the road below was flooded with the lurid sea of darkness. The lack of light posed no trouble to the shadowy pair of figures that was finding their way through the city; one because his eyes had learned to see even when all light seemed to perish and the other because his whole being was formed out darkness in the first place.

"Whew, that sure didn't turn out the way I expected it to." Abel let out a fatigue-ridden sigh.

"No doubt, who could have anticipated that the one that we have to protect would turn out to be a suicidal idealist," Samael spat, clearly irritated by the unexpected obstacle.

"That's harsh. Where's that apologetic demeanor you had earlier?" Abel asked, surprised by the immediate shift in his partner's attitude.

"Acting, we need to remain on his good side. If it weren't for the mission, he wouldn't get off with a slap on the wrist," Samael answered. "Still, his death would soon be the penalty if he keeps on butting in a fight between Servants. You would also do well to remember it, **Zadkiel**. Next time he might not be so lucky as to survive from your cowardice."

"I wasn't scared. I was just-" Abel tried to defend himself against these accusations, however to no avail.

"Just What Then? Paralyzed? Hesitant? **Indecisive**?" Samael fired his accusation through clenched teeth. His voice grew louder with every word. "Save that pathetic excuse. If you hadn't stood idle then and stopped him, we would've rid ourselves of one potential enemy without staining our hand but no! You just have to stand idle like an idiot. Grow a backbone for Christ's sake."

"I'm sorry," Abel whispered faintly in response to Samael's fury.

"Apology rejected! Unless you can provide me with some sign of improvement, your sorry is as hollowed as the strength of your will," Samael continued raging. "**Coward**."

Without anything better to say, all that Abel could do was to half-heartedly acquiesce to the words of chastisement. As Abel had learned from experience, it was much easier to wait for Samael to diffuse his anger through harsh words than to form a retort and add more fuel to his fire of rage. Soon enough, the stream of admonition that ran from Samael's lips started to die down.

"Meaningless as it is, I suppose I owe you an apology," Samael began, after he regained his stoic persona. The guilt from seeing his face partner's dejected look dulled the sharp touch of anger from his voice. "I shouldn't have just raged at you like that without considering your past trauma. Still, you shouldn't let yourself be chained down by it forever. One of these days, you'll regret not trying harder to get over it."

"I know and I'm trying."

"Not hard enough as it appears. Still, I'm done with anger for the night and, seeing your contribution in taking out Dracula, I suppose I can try to leave this matter to rest."

"Well, about that Samael, why did you lie to them about being unable to fight?" Desperate to change the subject from his personal flaw, Abel dropped the first question that he could think of. Although any normal human wouldn't survive a single blow of Dracula's sword or at the very least would be immobilized by the sheer pain of having their body transformed into a vampire, Samael suffered neither of these two symptoms due to his unique body condition.

"To assess her prowess in combat; it will give some idea of how much room we have to maneuver without taking a risk," Samael replied. "Beside, from that position, I can still protect him in case things go wrong."

"So you mean in case I mess up," Abel muttered glumly.

"They're just precautions but if perchance you inconceivably succumb to that **lily-liver side** and chicken out, we can still avoid an utter failure of our mission."

"Some how that doesn't make me feel any better."

"Good, because it is not supposes to. Anyway, you should start your patrol. Our little talk has it delayed for long enough. I'll contact the Vatican to give our report and make preparations for tomorrow," Samael responded while giving a big yawn. The trace of anger had melted away from his voice. "I finished the area around here, so you might start by scaling the outskirts of the city."

"Right, I better get to it then," Abel sighed in exhaustion as he resigned himself to the job. Samael did his share, so he might as well do his own. "Say, what you do think of our chance completing this mission without innocent casualties?"

"Who knows? But I say it is nigh impossible with Dracula running loose. Rather than focusing on that, I rather that you would concentrate on the mission at hand. I doubt we'll have the privilege of looking out for civilians much longer," Samael replied. It may not be the comforting answer that Abel looked for but it was the only logical option at the moment. "You may not share my opinion but this is the best course of action. We'll turn that house into a fortress if we have to, but neglecting our target to save civilians is not an excuse for failure."

"I...see," Abel muttered, unconvinced, before he disappeared for his patrol.

Being the only figure to stand in the now-empty street, Samael trudged heavily along the sloping road that led to the downtown where they had small room to store their belongings. He needed rest, not because of physical fatigue, but to let his mind recover from the bitter aftertaste of Dracula's escape.

Samael pulled to a temporary stop at the bottom of the hill and turned his gaze upward. The darkened sky was painted with stars in this more rural part of the city that was yet to be overwhelmed by manmade lighting. The scenery was a sight to behold but, with the myriad of issues that plagued his mind, its beauty was promptly disregarded.


	10. A Peaceful Day

Well, here's a new chapter. For all you ShirouxSaber fans out there, I included a small ShirouxSaber moment in this chapter. Hope you enjoy. **  
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**Chapter 10: A Peaceful Day**

**Emiya Residence (5.43AM) **

After the last night's events, an uncomfortable rest plagued with nightmare was the best that Shirou could afford. The scene of his blunder unceasingly haunted him through out the night, seeping through cracks in the brittle mental barrier that he erected. The thought persistently lurked like a predator in subconscious, waiting to strike when he lowered his guard.

It had been a few hours since he woke up. However he couldn't submit himself to another slumber in fear of this recurring nightmare, neither could he muster the strength to rise up for the new day with the weight of this conflict heavy upon him.

He was simply stalling the inevitable, Shirou knew. It wouldn't be long until someone would come to force him out of the solace of his futon.

"Shirou, are you awake?"

"Yeah." Ceasing his futile escape from reality, Shirou reluctantly open both eyelids and pushed his body to a seating position.

"I wish to talk," Saber said as she took a seat beside his futon, probably to pick up on their argument from yesterday.

"Can it wait a minute?" At least to wash away both the physical and mental fatigue, Shirou decided that a few minutes visit the bathroom would make it easier for him to accept whatever grievances Saber had.

"I'm afraid not. I need to talk to you before anyone comes by," Saber answered. "I meant to have this conversation yesterday but after seeing what happened, I think it's better to let you get some rest first."

"Alright, let's hear it."

"Shirou," Saber took a deep breath and let out her message. "I want to warn you about the Burier."

"You are still going on about that? Didn't I already tell you he wouldn't have saved me if he wishes me harm?" Although he didn't put it into words, Shirou's tone seemed to reveal his surprise with Saber's obstinacy in regard to this matter. "I thought you got along with Abel just fine when he helped us last night."

"He's not the one that I'm talking about. It's the other one that you need to watch out for," Saber pushed on, her tone dead serious.

"Samael?" Shirou took a moment to recall his memory of the person in question. After a quick evaluation, he gave Saber an opinion contrasting to her. "Well, he was extreme and certainly unpleasant when angered, but he did apologize to me later."

"Appearance can be deceiving and action may not connote a person's real intention," Saber chided, as if to reprimand his lack of suspicion.

"Even if you say that, it's not like he can harm me when his Servant is bound by command spells." Shirou argued.

"Normally, I would've agreed with you, but please do not disregard my experience in such areas. I have this feeling, call it intuition if you wish, that his very presence should not be welcomed in this house." Saber paused for a moment before she could find the right words to reveal her distress to Shirou without appearing vulnerable. "My intuition have never failed me before through my years in the battlefields and I'm certain it would not betray me now either."

"So you have a feeling that he wishes me harm?" Shirou asked, unsure how to approach the subject that he had so little knowledge of.

"As long as the possibility exists, it is wise to maintain some distance from him. Although I do not know his real intentions, I am certain that he wasn't completely honest with us and that alone makes it dangerous for us to lower our guard." Silence fell as Saber finished her statement. She shifted her gaze to Shirou as if to ask for his saying in this matter.

"Well, seeing that you have much more experience about this kind of thing than I do, I suppose can try to be more careful around him." Much to Saber's surprise, Shirou complied with her request. "Personally, I don't really see the reason why but if it makes you feel better then I'm fine with it."

"Thank you, Shirou, I appreciate your understanding." Saber let out her breath in relief and stood up from her seat. "I will leave you to your rest then."

"Saber, wait."

"Yes, is something matter?"

"Well, you know, last night….." Shirou began reluctantly and found his voice disappearing mid-sentence before he could muster enough strength to go on. "Did I do the right thing?"

Saber sighed. She knew this question would come up sooner or later. Truthfully, she didn't know how to respond. The conflict that Shirou was having paralleled so similarly to the one that she used to have as a young king, which, even now, she struggle to answer. "I don't know, Shirou. I cannot answer that question of yours nor is it my place to judge your action."

"I see," Shirou mumbled softly in response to Saber's reply. He hung his head dejectedly, not receiving the answer that would help him overcome this emotional turmoil.

"Still, I don't want to believe that it was wrong," Saber hesitantly began. "Although it may not be the best course of action to take, your intention was pure. For that reason you should not hold yourself responsible for its outcome."

"Saber..."

"However, I can't say the same for your tendency to rush head on into danger, but I'll leave it for later. First, you will need some times to first come to term with this conflict." Saber knew that the issue of Shirou's recklessness also needed to be addressed but, at the moment, neither of them was in shape for such talk.

"Thanks," Shirou mumbled out his gratitude. "Is this why you didn't bring up this topic?"

"That's a part of it but I think you already have enough on your mind without having to deal with my admonition." Saber answered. "You should rest, Shirou. We can't afford having you collapsed at a crucial time."

"Alright, I wil-"

_Ding-Dong_

The sound of ringing doorbell cut Shirou off mid-sentence.

"I'll answer it." Saber said as she started to head out of the room.

_Ding-Dong_

"Wait, Saber. I'll get it myself." In panic, Shirou jumped off his futon. Although he didn't mind Sakura and Taiga, letting Saber's existence become a common knowledge in the neighborhood might prove troublesome later on.

"It's better that you rest. Just leave it to m-"

_Ding-Dong_

"No, I'll-"

_Ding-Ding-Ding-Ding-Ding-Ding-Ding-Ding-Ding-Ding-Ding-Ding-Ding-Ding_. In response to the impatience of the person on the other side, the doorbell blared off in rapid succession. The annoyance it created effectively forced both Shirou and Saber to drop their argument and rush to the front door. Reaching the knob, Shirou forcefully slammed the door to the side to reveal the source of this early morning's disturbance. Standing before them with a frown plastered on his face was Samael.

"Didn't you take your sweet time?" Samael stated, annoyed. Clearly, it seemed that some of the yesterday's distress was still affecting his mood.

"And what business might you have this early in the morning?" With a similarly foul temper, Saber answered with disdain in her voice. The Burier's mere presence was enough to worsen her mood to other extreme end.

"See for yourself," Samael replied and moved half a step to the side. Behind him, four large traveling bags were laid on the ground, but surely they weren't meant to stay there for long.

"You don't mean-" Shirou started to have an idea about the purpose of this visit. The unpleasant possibility was forming in his mind.

"From today onward, Abel and I will be staying here." Samael gave his affirmation, much to Shirou's acquiescence and Saber's protest.

"Preposterous! I will not concede to such an outrageous demand," Saber objected fiercely.

"I'm afraid you already did yesterday. After all you did agree to let us protect Shirou without hearing the details of how we will carry it out." Samael stated matter-of-factly. "And weren't you just so dependent on our help to get rid of Dracula? You don't suppose we can do that while living half a city away, do you?"

"That's not the point!"

"That is the point and don't even try to say that there is not enough space. I confirmed that with him yesterday," Samael said and started to head into the house with his belongings. But before he could do so, Saber moved into position to bar his entry.

"If you would be so kind as to show me an empty room, if not anywhere less hospitable would do just fine." Samael paid no heed her gesture and asked Shirou. His question was answered with Saber's resolute index finger pointing out of the door.

"You are not welcome here. Leave."

"That will be quite troublesome. You see––

The argument between the two dragged on while Shirou was lost in thought. Its details went unheard by him. He could only hope that Saber would be able to resist the Burier's advance.

Still, in case the worst really came to happen, a single line of sobering thought ran over and over in his head.

_How the heck will I explain this to Fuji-nee and Sakura?_

**Street to Emiya Residence (6.701AM)**

Abel was exhausted and that was an understatement. Even if it merely ended to be a wild goose chase, he did give his all in the hunt for Dracula or any of his body parts that might be flapping down the street.

The cumulative fatigue of the past few days caused the fluttering of Abel's translucent wings to become increasingly erratic, although not to the extent that would make him fall down from the sky. The mana that he had solidified and moldedr to form the extra appendages was also starting to dissipate from his lack of concentration to maintain its shape.

He needed rest, badly. He could only hope Samael would already have secured a place for them to stay in Emiya's house, if not he'd just simply plop down on the floor and sleep his day away. However, before he had the chance to carry out any of his plans, he had one more problem to deal with.

The heat that had started to gather on his back and neck warned Abel that the sun was peeking across the horizon. Soon, its light would overtake the shroud of night and causes his airborne self to become visible to the public's eyes.

_Perhaps it is time for me to land_, Abel pondered wearily.

As much as he wished to, it was impossible to maintain the complex structures of both his wings and his camouflage cloak in such a sleepy state, not that he could ever effectively with his clearest mind anyway. Although there were only a few would pay attention to an unnatural sight in the early morning without attributing it to the fallacy of their senses, it was better to not to someone take a snapshot of his limbs hanging in the sky.

Abel spread his wings to their full span of three meters to prepare for his descent. As the air resistance gradually lowered his velocity, Abel couldn't help but be saddened by the prospect of parting from his beloved sky. Alas, there wasn't much he could do without incurring Benedetti's wrath and another scolding session. Despite never losing his ever-calm disposition, one would swear that the cardinal must have sharpened his tongue with a whetstone.

Shuddering at the thought, Abel hastened his final drop to the ground, although the remaining velocity continued to carry his body forward in a sprint. In any ordinary circumstance, it wouldn't have been a cause of concern. However, his fatigue-ridden mind failed to perceive an obstacle that appeared in his path.

"Watch out!" Abel tried to warn the person that stood in his way, although it was already too late for either to avoid collision.

"Kya!" Abel's ears caught girlish scream as his velocity sent them tumbling into a tangled heap of flesh and limbs. Being unfamiliar with such sensation, Abel immediately yelped back from the softness of female body that pressed against his own.

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! Oh God, I'm sorry! Are you alright? Are you hurt? Where? Is it serious? Oh God, what should I do?" Being said in rapid succession, the words that Abel produced in this agitated state were nearly incoherent.

"Um, I think the first thing you should do is to calm down." Although she could only make out a few of his words, the girl smiled gently at the concern that he displayed behind the stroke of panic.

Abel took a few deep breaths to calm his nerves. Once he felt satisfied with his false calmness, he attempted to repeat his questions. "A-A-Are y-you a-alright?"

"I think I'm fine." Despite what she'd claimed, her reply contained no weight, from the way that she leaned her weight away from her left leg. The raw red that was exposed on her knee also did nothing but merely confirm the fact that she was in no shape to walk.

Before she had the chance to continue limping away, her path was blocked by Abel, who was squatting with his back turned toward her. Interpreting this peculiar gesture that he was in pain, the girl turned her gaze to him with concern. "Are you alright? Is there any where that hurt?"

"N-No, it's not like that. Well, umm, p-please get on. It was due to my carelessness that you're injured so the least I can do is to compensate for it." Regardless of her excuse and his embarrassment, Abel's helpful side was forcing to be unable to ignore her need for assistance.

"Y-You don't have to! It will only waste your time." Now it was the girl's turn to stutter, being taken aback by his hard-to-find sense of chivalry.

"I'm not particularly in a hurry and I probably can't go about my business in good conscience if I don't see you arrive at your destination safely. So, I insist." Abel pushed on, before the realization that he might appear too aggressive caused his reserved nature to temporarily prevail. "B-But if you don't want to, then I won't force you."

"No, it's alright, if it's not too much of a trouble." In contrast to what he'd initially expected, the girl bashfully gave her consent

"Not at all, it would be my pleasure." After hearing her answer, Abel smiled as the girl climbed on his back.

_Soft_

Abel couldn't help but blush beet red when he noticed how soft her supple skin was to his own. With the way that he always kept himself busy with his career, Abel rarely had any contact with females aside from business dealings. _So this is what a female body feels like_..._No! I shouldn't think of her in that way._

Cleansing away his impure thought, he returned his focus to the task and lifted her off the ground, although not with ease. For, among the Buriers, Abel was the weakest by far in terms of physical strength, especially when his limbs were still weighted down by fatigue.

Out of his occupational habit, he cast a split-second observing glance at her. The girl appeared to be in her teens. Her body was voluptuously built but her innocent face show a telltale sign of young age. As indicated by her uniform, she seems to be a high school student. A little unusual to think that she would leave home this early in the morning. Her uniquely colored hair and eyes of pale violet were noted but not given much attention, although it was unusual for this timid looking girl to dye her hair to such a bold color.

"E-excuse me, but are you from around here?" In a desperate attempt to repel the uneasy silence that was settling down upon them, Abel nervously attempted to start a conversation with the girl.

"Umm, yes," the girl replied with a slight pink hue tingeing her cheeks. Both parties were clearly embarrassed by the position that that they were in. Luckily for both, there weren't any other people on the street to add to the embarrassment. "A-Are you a foreigner? We don't usually get many tourists around here."

"Well, yes but I am not a tourist. I have a business to deal with someone that lives around here, but the matter is rather confidential so I would appreciate it if you don't ask."

"I understand. Sorry for asking, but it just that you don't seem to be the type that would be involved in that type of shady dealing."

"No, it isn't... w-well I suppose it is shady in normal people's eyes. But it's not what you think. It isn't illegal. No, well, it is. B-but, but it isn't what you think! I never harm a person. No, wait, I just did, b-but it was an accident. No wait, I-I mean I never harm a-a human in my job..." Hanging his head at the lack of valid excuse, Abel decided that it would be better to just drop the issue. "...Can you please just forget everything that I said? All of them, please."

"Y-Yes, I think I should." The girl gave him a look that contained both pity and disbelief. Pondering his sincerity, the girl found little to no connection between his innocent appearance and nature of the occupation that he blurted. A possible list was starting to be formed in her mind and, surely, it contain all kind of illegal jobs, including gang member, drug dealer, and hired gun. The list would've continued to be much longer, if she hadn't recognized the surrounding area and called out to Abel. "Ahh, please stop! We're almost there."

"Well, if we are not far, then I think I can take you there. I'm starting to recognize the neighborhood and it seems that our destinations are not far apart, so it won't take much more of my time." Although her announcement was welcomed by his strained arms and back, Abel's sense of responsibility made him rather see the task through until the end. Still, the girl's apparent reluctance caused him to pull to a stop.

"N-No, it's just that-" The girl tried to mumble her reason to him, although, in fear of hurting his feelings, she eventually grew silent.

"Umm, perhaps, is it because you don't want to be seen like this? I'll, well, make sure to drop you before anyone came out, but at least please let me take you to the front gate."

"In that case, it's that house over there." Seeing that she could not convince the determined Abel, the girl reluctantly pointed to the traditional Japanese building across the street. "Just the front gate, please."

"Yes, I understand," Abel replied with a satisfied smile as they proceeded to complete the last stretch of this trek. However, he was struck by a certain realization as they were crossing the intersection to house's front gate.

"A-Are you sure this is the right place?" Before he could stop himself, Abel blurted the question as he knelt down to give her an easier drop to the ground.

"Yes, I am"

"R-Really? I mean, like, really really sure?"

"You don't have to worry that much. My head wasn't hit when I fell earlier." Interpreting his questioning to be concern, the girl showed a smile as she turned to face him. "In that case, thank you for helping me, Mister..."

"Abel. Abel Al... Well, let's just leave it as Abel. My last name is kind of complicate to pronounce in Japanese. A-a-and you are?"

"I'm Matou Sakura. Again, thanks for your help." With that said Sakura bowed politely and disappeared into the house, leaving Abel to stare dumbly at her receding figure. It was only until the closing gates shielded her from view that he could bring his focus to the matter at hand.

Wondering at how such an unlikely possibility came into existence, he reread the name plate in front of the house for the sixth time. The two kanji characters that were carved into the metal sheet could only be read as Emiya.

_Well, I suppose it looks like one more trouble for Samael to deal with_.

The thought of Samael's possible reactions toward the knowledge that he has to appease another of Shirou's acquaintance squeezed a small laugh from Abel as he proceeded through the same gate with a renewed vigor.

_Strange,_ Abel wondered,_ where has my sleepiness gone to?_

**Emiya Residence** **(6.45 AM)**

"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS SHIROU?" Fujimura Taiga screamed and slammed both of her fists on the table. The impact launched plates of food into the air, except a few which were saved by Saber's nimble hands before she resumed her meal in total disregard of the ongoing commotion. Rin, too, assumed this neutral stance, deciding that it would be better not to stick her nose into this matter.

"Answer me, why are we having so many people staying here now?" Taiga exclaimed while her hands encircled around Shirou's throat and started to shake his body around. Despite the fact that Shirou was being strangled, the scene itself was quite comical and earned a muffled snicker from Samael.

"We are not running a hotel! So stop picking up people to stay here already!" Taiga screamed, not amused in the least of having newcomers joining their household on daily basis.

"Fujimura-Sensei, please calm down. Senpai is turning blue!" Sakura was trying her best to help Shirou out, but her effort proved to be in vain as Taiga, who was the middle of wringing life out of Shirou, couldn't hear a word she said.

"Miss, I apologize for interrupting your murder attempt but, if you want to listen to his excuse, strangling him may not be the best course of action to take." Samael's gloved hand grabbed Taiga's shoulder when the wave of hilarity subsided. His grip was intended to be lax enough not to cause any damage but tight enough to signify that he shouldn't be taken lightly. Unfortunately for him, however, Samael didn't know that the woman before him was different from most normal people who could be intimidated merely by his strength.

"You stay quiet!" Taiga snapped right back without a trace of fear on her face, but she did release her grip on Shirou. "And you should start explaining, young man."

"Ow-w, as I was about to tell you, they were my father's acquaintances and they asked for a place to stay, so I can't just deny them of that can I?"

"I don't believe that one bit. That excuse may work once with Saber-chan but not any more Mister," Taiga scolded sternly, before turning to Saber to ask for confirmation. "Saber-chan do you know them?"

Saber responded to question with a slight shake of her head.

"Hah, I thought so!" exclaimed Taiga triumphantly. "So it's a lie."

"Now, now, a moment, if you please," Samael said after he'd spent a moment to swallow the sharp annoyance that flared from Saber's utter lack of cooperation. "Although we both know Kiritsugu, it is not necessary that he introduced us to one another. We must have known him from a different setting and circumstance."

"And when exactly did you two get to know one another?"

"I must say that it is through our occupation. That man is specialized in a certain expertise, while I in another, so naturally we found ourselves working together toward a certain goal. In this sense, w-"

"That kind of story doesn't explain a thing. I need names and places." Taiga's aggressive request for details left Samael at a loss for words as there was no time for him to create a believable lie for this topic.

"Well, since they already took the trouble of coming here, why don't we just let me stay?" Being pressured by Samael's strong grip on his back to support their cause, Shirou tossed in a halfhearted comment.

"Don't you dare talk back to me! First you brought Tohsaka-san here then Saber-chan and now these two. I can understand about the girls' circumstances but now you have to go ahead and bring these two suspicious fellows. Can't you see? One of them just looks like he'd killed someone before!"

"Miss, I have to say that your opinion had barely done me justice," Samael rebuked her accusation. However, before Taiga had the chance to explain that she meant it as an exaggeration, he proceeded to correcting her statement. "You just need to replace _someone _with _lots of people_ then you'll be right on track."

Amidst the surprise of Shirou and Abel, the indifference of Saber and Rin, and the horror on Sakura and Taiga's face, Samael finished his short sentence as if it was the most common thing in the world. The room turned quiet for a second before it was thrown into an uproar.

"SEE! I told you, DIDN"T I!" With the color drained from her face, Taiga resumed her attempt to shake some sense into Shirou.

"It was a joke," Samael clarified, although the lack of amusement in his eyes and voice made it difficult to distinguish which statement was true in the first place.

"That's a joke. That's right. It has to be a joke," Taiga convinced herself of the possibility to take easy escape out of the situation at hand.

"Yes, that's why I said it was a joke."

"I don't know who you are mister but this is already going too far. Get out or I'm calling the police." Taiga marched toward and picked up the phone to emphasize her point, pointing it at Samael like a weapon.

"Please, miss, let's keep civilized," Samael sighed dramatically to show his displeasure toward her aggressive approach.

"We were being civil with your prank for long enough. Now, it's time to tell us your real reason for coming here."

"Alright, fine," Samael said with a facade of yielding to her stubborn demand. "We believe that this nephew of yours might be in grave danger."

"What type of danger exactly are you talking about? Why don't ask you just ask the police?"

"The main reason being that the issue is not entirely legal, so there is a need for a _special protection_."

"And just who are you two to claim of being able to offer better protection than polices?"

"That's the part I'm getting into. Now, why don't we give you some more detail in a somewhat more private setting? Please, after you." As Samael gestured Taiga to move to another room, the only sound that could be heard in the room was a small click of the phone as it was returned to its place on the tabletop.

**Emiya Residence (7.01 AM)**

Abel had escaped to the veranda as Samael led Taiga into another room to show off some of the impressive connections they had through the Vatican. There was no longer a need for him in the conversation, so he might as well just save himself from the distress and left this process of coercion that never sat well with his introverted nature.

From the direction that things were going, their stay would soon be allowed, albeit somewhat reluctantly. No ordinary citizen could resist some of the people in the Vatican's contact list, much less all of them. In the worst case, Benedetti would have to arrange a few calls to ensure that their claim wasn't just a prank.

"Umm, excuse me, Abel-san." Sakura's voice broke Abel out of his reverie.

"Y-Yes, do you have a need for me?" Although he was naturally conscious of other people, Sakura's presence appeared to have more profound effect on him than any other.

"It isn't it just a joke, is it?" Sakura approached him with distress clearly written on her face.

"W-What are you talking about?"

"When your partner said that he'd kill a lot of people before."

"Well, what should I say?" Abel silently cursed both his loose tongue and Samael's penchant for half-true jokes regarding their sinister occupation. "Umm, that is very hard for me to answer."

"What danger is Senpai facing?"

"I'm sorry but I can't say." Hanging his head apologetically, Abel replied.

"You're not going to harm him are you?"

"N-No! Of course not, that was not what I had in mind." Despite what he'd said, Abel couldn't say the same for Samael, who as of late had become increasingly unpredictable with his inclination toward violence. However, compelled by her troubled look, Abel had to attempt to sooth it. "L-Look, I cannot guarantee you anything, b-but I promise I'll try my best."

"Please keep him safe, Senpai is a very important person to me." Apparently wasn't comforted by his empty promise, Sakura could only leave the matter in his hands and hurriedly left Abel to mull over this new issue.

Wondering if it would be better to give her a promise that could not be kept, Abel laughed inwardly at his pathetic attempt in soothing her worry.

"My best, huh? I wonder if it will be enough."

**Emiya Residence (21.38PM)**

After everything that he'd gone through since the dawn of this hectic day, Shirou was getting ready for an early sleep. It didn't matter that the Buriers had just settled in another guest room or that Taiga would stay the night to keep watch over these suspicious guests.

Being mindlessly drawn to the long awaited rest, Shirou's brain couldn't detect the abnormality of having his futon laid on the ground when he entered his room. His body followed the same old movement and inserted its exhausted self into the long awaited softness. However his movement came to a stop when he realized that something was wrong.

_Soft?...Warm?...Bouncy?...?_

Panic surged into Shirou's brain when his hand touched a foreign object that was well-hidden in the space between blanket and futon. Fearing the worst, he peeked into the opening.

A pair of emerald green stared right back into his.

He blinked, once, then twice, making sure that she wasn't merely a figment of his imagination. Apparently not, the softness in his palm confirmed that. It took some time before Shirou's frozen brain could resume processing. When it finally did, the first thing that it authorized was to release a long delayed yawp.

"WHOAmphhhh." Before he could cause too much of a commotion, his scream was muffled by her deft hand.

"Shhhh." Never anticipating that her presence would cause him to scream bloody murder, Saber motioned him to remain silent, but it was already too late.

"Shirou, is something wrong?" Alarmed by Shirou's cry of shock, Taiga's voice pierced through the thin paper door. Unfazed by the upcoming situation, Saber released her hand from Shirou's mouth and gave him to look that said _Don't you dare tell her that I'm here_.

_Easy for you to say_. Shirou thought, annoyed by the way that she pushed the responsibility unto him. "Don't worry about it. There just happen to be a.. a..a ..a...spider!...a spider in my futon."

"Heeh... I never knew that you are scare of them, Shirou." Taiga responded lightheartedly. "I almost can't believe it, you know? It sounded almost like a poor excuse you came up on the spot."

"We-ll, I wonder why it sounded like that," Shirou anxiously stuttered in reply.

"Right? Isn't that strange, since I know that a good boy like you wouldn't lie to his senior and **bring a girl into his room, right?**"

"O-Of c-course not, I wouldn't dream of doing something like that."

_Technically, I'm not lying, since Saber is the one who sneaked in here. _Initially, Shirou clung to that thought to prevent himself from succumbing to guilty conscience, but the sudden murderous edge at the end of Taiga's sentence caused a stutter to his voice.

"In that case, Shirou,"

Shirou gulped in apprehension of what she would way next,

"Do you want my help getting rid of it?"

_SHIT!_

"Wait-Wait-Wait-Wait, I-I already took care of it." Shirou's heart dropped to his ankle when he heard sliding of the paper door. "Just like one splat and gone."

"Hmm, just make sure you clean up properly. Still, as your guardian I am not pleased with how you look after this house. You should clean your room once in a while before bugs start settling in there.

"Alright, I'll try to keep it in mind." _ Don't start lecturing me about cleanliness, when you can't even hold a broom correctly._ With great care not to let his real emotion spilled into his reply, Shirou endured her short lecture.

"That should be it for now. I hope you would reflect on your action from now on. In that case, good night then, Shirou," Eventually, after five minutes of nearly being driven mad by apprehension, Taiga finally decided that her nephew had received enough scolding.

"Yes, yes, good night!" Waiting until Taiga' footsteps faded, Shirou started to protest Saber's presence with a whisper, so as to not drawn any more unwanted attention. "Saber! What are you doing here?"

"Apparently, protecting you, Shirou." Saber cocked her head to the side as if to ask another alternate purpose he might've had in mind.

" I thought we'd already discussed this issue, Saber. You're supposed to sleep in a room next to mine but not here, especially not in my bed."

"Yes, Shirou, I still remember our agreement. However the situation has changed quite significantly since we last discussed. The presence of a potential enemy inside our house would require that I stay physically closer to you."

"That doesn't mean we have to share a bed with one another."

"Shirou, I understand your point of view and I apologize for invading your private space. However this is the only way of catching them red-handed in case they try to attack you tonight." Saber frowned at Shirou's lack of compliance. However, this was one issue that he simply wouldn't back down on.

"You still shouldn't do this. Why can't you understand that this is inappropriate?"

"What I can't understand is your reluctance in receiving my protection. There isn't much that you will lose from doing so."

_Not much? NOT MUCH? It's my sanity that will be lost. I'm a man too, Goddamnit._ Shirou thought ferociously, suppressing the desire that was aroused by her presence.

"Besides, I'd already told you to think of me as your blade. Why do you keep insist on treating me as a female?"

_Why? Let's see because a sword doesn't usually have breasts, butt, and a cute face! _ Shirou grumbled and swallowed his retort. Insulting her wouldn't make the situation any better. "Must I use a command spell to get you out of my bed?"

"If you would use your command spell for such a reason then I have no doubt we would be the first to be defeated. However, I have no intention to back down this time. Even if you would order me so, I will find a way to return here." Saber countered with fierce determination that finally convinced Shirou to the futility of his resistance.

"Alright, alright, I get it. Just stay here, if it would make you feel any better..." To cope with the current situation, Shirou decided that it would be easier just to turn to the other side and try to forget her presence. Alas, Saber didn't make it easy for him.

"..."

"..."

"...Hey wait-wait! Why are you moving closer to me?" Feeling the softness of Saber's body against his back, Shirou tried to inch away.

"It would arouse suspicion to see two bodies on a single futon, Shirou. The solution for that would be for us to stay close to one another in order to appear as a single lump under the bed sheet. Since my body is small, it will be more difficult to spot any difference on sight." Determined not to let him escape, Saber closed the gap between them once again. "Please do not mind me. I will do my best not to disturb your sleep."

_You're already disturbing it enough as _is. Feeling her unceasing stare from underneath the blanket, Shirou resigned himself to a sleepless night.

* * *

Again read and review please. Many thanks!


	11. The Seed of Conflict

**Chapter 11: The Seed of Conflict**

Fire. The word itself held a certain ambiguity that allowed its meaning to be interpreted for either good or bad. However there could be no doubt toward the implication that it bore in this context.

This fire was a medium. A medium which transported a part of this hell into Earth's surface, for no such scenery could have naturally come into existence on the surface of our peaceful Earth.

Flames of all shapes and sizes existed within this infernal realm, in swirls, columns, rings, and many other forms that were too complex to be described by human tongue. For miles on end, these blazing shades of orange and red crept through the land, swallowing all to sate its unending hunger.

In was here in the middle of this hell that Shirou came to his senses. His eyelids fluttered opened amidst the pile of rubble that cushioned him. Struggling to get up right from the ache in his lower back, he tried to make sense of the surroundings with his baffled glance.

A dream.

That was what the situation initially appeared to be. However, if it was so, there could be no explanation to the vividness of the scenery. The oppressing heat, the jagged sensation of debris under his bare feet, and the dry breeze that greeted his face made it appeared as if someone abducted and placed him there in his sleep.

"Why?" A faint whisper floated along the wind, nearly blending in with the cracking of fire.

"Why?" Hoping to at least save a soul from this hell, Shirou began to remove the rubble that covered the voice's source. The heat of each brick and block of cement seared his palm but there was no time to pause.

"Why?" Hurry! Hurry! He must hurry or else this life too would slip beyond his helping hand. The sound became more vivid with every piece that he removed, compelling him to slave tirelessly under the crushing heat.

"Why?" As he hauled the last piece away, Shirou's hope was soon to be deflated. All that awaited him under the rubble was a half-crushed, half-buried remnant of a human head, painted brown with dried blood and sickly yellow of exposed skull. Its cracked lips parted to deliver the same question.

"Why?" It snarled both with murderous rage and desperation. Its remaining eyeball, glazed and delirious, glared at him with an intense hatred.

"Why?" Its bone-dried hand latched on to his leg with a horrifying strength, using his leg as a pillar to pull itself out of the surrounding debris.

"Why?" Shirou's legs grew weak with horror as he toppled backward, only to have more hands latching on to his torso like a lifeboat. There were more of them, castaways in this sea of debris, hundreds perhaps thousands.

"?"

The entire horde chanted the word in unison, each moment with increasing intensity. They started marching toward him. Those with legs trudged and those without crept. Their desperate hands seized any remaining part of his body, begging for salvation from this hell. A salvation that could be spared for none but himself.

"?"

Under the prison of flesh, Shirou could only attempt to shield himself from pain as their clumsy hands often failed to place a grip upon his flesh without clawing a part of it off. Shirou struggled wildly, not knowing how much of his flesh was still left attached to the bones underneath.

"?"

Squirming black and red of scorched flesh filled his vision. Stench of badly cooked meat pierced his nostrils. His ears drowned off by their mindless chants.

"WHYWHYWHYWHY?"

A flash of light appeared in an instant,

Shirou started to feel a flow of magical energy running through his body, a glimmer of hope amidst this overwhelming madness. It was unnoticeably small compared to the surrounding chaos, but its presence was starting to intensify with each and every moment.

The illusive world was being broken down. A crack ran down from its top, reducing the ghastly vision to a mere equivalent of a horror movie. The pain grew distant and their endless chanting was being drowned out by the buzzing static. The corpses ferociously attempted to retain their grip upon him, but it was futile. Shirou was far beyond their reach. The chant lost its unity and turned into individual cries of rage.

The torrent of energy gave off its final blast. The illusion shattered into million pieces, leaving Shirou to spiral down the bottomless darkness. However he neither felt joy or relief from his escape, for the last word of the corpses still rang fresh in his ear.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU SAVE US?"

Before he sank deeper into oblivion, Shirou finally recognized the emotion that was gnawing his mentality since the beginning of this dream. It was guilt.

**Emiya Residence** **(5.15 AM)**

Shirou's heavy eyelids slowly cracked open by a stream of a stream of light that squeezed through the opening in the curtains. The gentle color of the paper door and tatami mat provided a sharp contrast to the earlier landscape as the softness of his futon did to the earlier pain that overloaded his sense of touch. He had return to where he belonged.

"A dream, so it was a dream." Shirou spoke aloud to calm his restless nerves. "Of course, what else can it be?"

"I see that you are awake."

"Gaah!" The female voice from underneath his blankets immediately forced Shirou in an upright seating position.

"Please maintain your composure, Shirou. We do not want the other to know of my presence here," Saber quickly hushed Shirou and shot him a disapproving stare.

"O-Oh, it's you, Saber. Sorry, about that." Shirou's half-awake brain immediately lowered his voice as he started have a grasp on the current situation.

"Yes, it would be wise for us to be discreet about this matter. Although I am naïve regarding the way of this world, I do understand that you do not wish to be found with me in the same bed."

"Thank you, Saber." Although it was only a small compromise on her side, Shirou was grateful toward her considerate gesture. "Also, sorry about last night, I must have thrashed around a lot, didn't I?"

"No you didn't, Shirou, although I can't say that you had a pleasant night. You were breathing heavily and your face was deathly pale until minutes ago. Is there something wrong with your body?"

"Well, it's something more akin to a nightmare." Feeling a soft sensation in his palm, Shirou just came to realization that Saber's own hand was securely tucked into his right.

Although callous from constant contact with Excalibur, some traces of feminine gentleness could still be found in her palm, buried deep under the encrusting masculinity. Nonetheless, the protective strength of her grip put him at ease and the warmth of her flesh provided the sole source of heat for his body, which was soaked to the core with cold sweat.

"Umm, Saber, is this?"

"I tried to wake you with out causing too much commotion, but apparently you were too deep in your sleep to hear my call. This was the only aid I could offer without rousing the others' suspicion."

"I-I see. Thank you, then." Now that he was conscious of the sensation in his palm, Shirou took the remaining time to enjoy this rare opportunity to enjoy the feeling of female body against his own. However his moment of indulgence was brief.

After judging that her presence would no longer be necessary, Saber carefully pried her hand from Shirou's and shuffled for moment to free herself from the futon. "I will be taking my leave then. It is unlikely that they will choose to strike in an early morning."

"I already told you that you are worrying too much. It's not like I'm in any immediate danger here." The absence of any visible threat last night merely reinforced Saber's image as a worrywart in Shirou's eyes.

"Only until tonight Shirou." Seeing that Shirou wouldn't take her words of caution seriously, Saber bit her lower lips and endured a sharp pang of annoyance. "However, please rest assured for this trap can still be reused, as long as we are not detected by the others. Still, you should not be so careless. Threat in this war comes in all shapes and they would strike when they are least expected."

"Alright, alright, whatever you say," Shirou replied nonchalantly until he realized a certain message in her words. "Wait! You are still going to sleep here?"

"I sure will, Shirou, until I can confirm either their guilt or their innocence and please don't use the word sleep. I was keeping watch not sleeping. I would appreciate if you would at least distinguish between the two," Saber replied irritably.

"Wait, then you didn't have any last rest last night."

"That is why I'm retiring to my room, but please do not hesitate to call me on the slightest sign of danger."

"Yeah, I suppose, if it is something I can't handle."

"No, Shirou, I rather that you would call me before the situation got out of control and I mean it." Saber cut the conversation to a close and shut the door.

Seeing that she had left, Shirou laid back on his futon. It was a little too late to get another refreshing nap and a little too early to get up and about. The remaining time was spent so that he could continue to mull the current situation over. The recent knowledge that she would make quite a permanent lodging in his room dampened his spirit somewhat.

_Well, at least, it is an opportunity to train my inner strength_, Shirou thought somberly_._ _Ugh, I just hope that my sanity can keep up with this._

**Emiya Residence (7.30 AM)**

"Finally, the nuisances had left." Samael heaved a sigh after Taiga and Sakura submitted his demand and headed to school without Shirou, albeit not after putting a significant resistance.

"Can you not call my family members nuisances?" Shirou made a frown at Samael's comment.

"Inherently, that's what they are. In this war, there are only you and your Servant. Anyone else who can't fight is just a dead weight."

"Alright, can you two cut your quarrel, so that we can head back to our main topic?" Rin interrupted the argument before Shirou had his chance to argue. With sleepiness bogging her mind, Rin was clearly more irritable than her usual.

"I agree. It is important that we come up with a strategy to counter with Berserker as soon as possible." The discussion was earlier thrown into disarray with the sudden entry of Taiga and Sakura. It was only until Samael forcefully coerced them to leave for school without Shirou that they could continue.

"As we were discussing before, the main complication with Berserker was that his body was too tough to be harmed with our weapons. Is that right, Saber?" Rin picked up where they left off.

"It is. I'm ashamed to say but all my attacks had been for naught. Striking the giant is more or less similar to striking a wall of steel."

"Umm, perhaps, is it an effect of his Noble Phantasm? People's skin doesn't normally grow into steel," Abel nervously asked.

"Possibly, it may have the ability to block off attacks of lower rank, but we are not sure either."

"I see. In that case, the best thing that we can do so far is to hit him with our strongest and hope for the best, right? Samael, do you have anything to share?" Seeing that his partner had grown silent with a contemplating look on his face, Abel turned to him in hope of a solution.

"Oh, sorry, I was just thinking that perhaps our solution may be closer at hand than we initially thought."

"In that case, would you mind enlightening us with your idea Mr. Angel-of-Death? Calling some kind of reaper to drag the brute to hell?" With sarcasm tingeing her tone, Rin responded to Samael's haughty statement.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but I'm incapable of calling such phenomena. It would need at least an authentic angel...or devil to do that."

"So much for bearing the name Samael, I see."

"Hey, don't blame me. I'm not the one who devised this naming system in the Burial Agency, but, if it makes you feel better, let's say I'm about ten percent him."

"Hmm, and what exactly might you mean by that?"

"Obviously it means that I carry a part of his being." Samael replied vaguely, but made no attempt to give further clarification.

"W-Well, perhaps it will be easier, if we explain the way that the Agency is organized." Abel nervously attempted to elaborate. "To start with, the Agency is comprised of eight Buriers, who were assigned numbers in order of ascending combative strength. The first seven were chosen to represent the archangels and the eighth will act as a reserve member. The first Burier or Michael, as we call him, will assume the role of our leader. This position is currently held by C-"

BONK!

Abel's sentence was cut off in the middle Samael's right fist knocked his head backward. "You're straying off topic. Just cut to the chase."

"Ow! Geez! You didn't have to hit me."

"I wouldn't have to, if you didn't start giving names."

"Fine," Abel grumbled and resumed his explanation. "There is a specific reason as to why each Burier received an angel's name once he rose to the rank."

"Something of an old tradition?"

"Uhh, no, a Burier is addressed with their angel's name because they are considered as their...avatar, I suppose. Before they become a Burier, the candidates must first successfully form a contract with an archangel. As a result, we gain a part of their power and spiritual being in exchange for becoming their vessel, in other word, a medium for them to manifest in the human world. In the past, there used to be a rule regarding our name, but nowadays it's pretty much up to us."

"Take this guy for instance," Samael added as his hand stretched over Abel to ruffle the young Burier's hair. "He currently held the third seat in the Agency as Zadkiel's vessel but he prefers to be called by his real name, Abel. To make the matter worse, he gets all riled up whenever we use his angel's name."

"I wasn't riled up. It just that it would be an insult for the real Zadkiel...to share his name with some one like me."

"Please, not with this self degrading crap again, you are an archangel's vessel. I'm a fallen angel's vessel for verdamnt Christ's sake! If you think of yourself as a piece of trash how much lower would I be on the list?"

"No! No! It's not like that. I never meant to insult you. Even if you are our reserve member, y-you are much more dependable a-and..."

"Right, right, but let's recap. Basically, you two are just human like us. Too bad then, I was expecting that lightning would fall from the sky when we are in trouble." Seeing that the conversation was losing its focus, Rin interrupted the two Buriers in an uninterested tone.

"You shouldn't exactly count on that even if I'm the real Samael. I don't think that he and God are exactly on good terms. Perhaps that is why I'm the eighth."

"Eighth? Does that mean you're the weakest?"

"It is true, ability-wise, that I would not be able to defeat any of the remaining seven that is on a mindless one on one duel, although, in actual battles, there are a hefty amount of factors that can affect the outcome: strategy, luck, and, of course, **emotion**. Likewise, this is how we are going to fell the Berserker."

"Such arrogance, I hope that you have a well conceived plan to back it up." Reluctant to believe his claim, Saber cast a skeptical glance at Samael.

"It is not a plan, but rather a change in perspective so that we can exploit their flaw."

"What flaw? The giant's skin was tougher than any armor. How do you suggest we pierce through it?" Saber countered sharply.

"My apology, I must not have made things clear that the flaw doesn't lie with the Servant but rather the way that this war is organized. If a warrior was too strong to be defeated, then we take down his king. In this sense, the solution is simple: the girl must die."

"Wait, you can't jus-"

"I'm afraid that will not be possible. The Berserker wouldn't let you just waltz in to kill its Master." Knowing what grievances Shirou had in mind, Rin asserted a more logical version in his place.

"True, it would be impossible under normal circumstance, however, not with this numerical superiority. The warrior may be a juggernaut, but, with sufficient manpower, he can still be slowed, potentially, enough to keep the window of opportunity open."

"Wait! Wait! Before we start discussing strategy, we can't just kill an innocent girl!" The direction of the discussion was quick to chip away Shirou's composure.

"I beg to differ. As long as she is a Master, it doesn't matter whether she is a child or a woman. There is no point in straining our moral over it."

"That doesn't erase the fact that she is just a girl. Someone like her doesn't belong in this War. She should be in a school and live out a normal life," Shirou argued.

"Now that is where you are wrong, Emiya-kun. All the Masters, with an exception of you, have already made up their mind to risk everything, to reach the Grail. To say otherwise would simply be insulting," Rin chimed in exasperatedly. Although it was refreshing to see a person in modern day expressing a rare sense of chivalry, the excess of it can be turned into annoyance, especially when the man himself was too stubborn hear out any other side of the argument.

"See who's got most of the consent now?" A triumphant smirk became evident on Samael's face, although it didn't have the chance to last long.

"Wait, I didn't say that I agree with you, but we shouldn't rule that possibility out. Anyway, what's your say, Saber?"

"I agree with Rin. The plan may be plausible, but it is one that I wish to avoid. There is no honor in such underhand trickery." Saber shared her opinion curtly and quickly grew silent.

"That isn't much different from not using it at all. For this plan to succeed, we need to strike hard and fast, but certainly not when the situation becomes desperate enough for you all to get over your shabby morals. Just how many of us will have to die before then? Those who are unsatisfied with this plan can be cannon fodder for Berserker. Abel and I will use that opportunity to neutralize the girl." Clearly agitated, Samael responded angrily.

"Me? U-Uhh, well, I mean can we just leave this plan to be last resort? I-I mean with six people we might be able take him down." Never expecting that Samael would recruit him to do this vile task, Abel nervously tried to persuade him otherwise. The attempt accomplished nothing but to light the fire to Samael's bubbling anger.

"Fine, I will kill the girl myself, if you people don't have the gut to do so. Just-don't-get-in-my-way, cowards!" Samael roared. His jaw twitched erratically as he grinded his teeth in anger.

"Wait," Shirou's voice trailed after Samael who stormed off the room, "We are not finished talking. I won't let you kill her."

"And you think I would allow to your naivety put more people in danger like what you did with Dracula?"

"That was... I mean..." Shirou was left out of words with Samael's counter argument, leaving the rattling of the door to be the only sound in the room as Samael nearly slammed them out of their hinges.

With none of the members willing to talk, the discussion came to its premature ending, although at the time none of them could have foreseen the disaster that would follow by leaving this discussion unfinished. Still, it was human nature to rather leave future complications unattended than shatter the present peace. As such the remainder of the day was spent rather peacefully as the conflict between these two ideas was laid to rest for the time being.

**Emiya Household (18.38 PM)**

"Where are you going, Shirou?" Glaring sharply at her opposition, Saber decisively positioned herself across the front door.

"There is no need for worry Saber, I will be back soon." With the last nightmare weighting heavily upon his conscience, Shirou hoped that the late autumn wind would help to put his mind at ease and he was unwilling to be hindered by her paranoia. However his attempt to force his way through was stopped by another hand on his shoulder.

"Need I remind you of the importance of your safety? It would do us a world of good if you can remain where we can keep an eye on you." Behind him was Samael who held Shirou in place with both hands. With no other choice, Shirou decided to unleash his trump.

"Look, I have to buy some food or else we are going to starve tonight, get it?"

Although its effect on Samael was minimal, Saber was stunned by this short statement. The prospect of missing the meal that she anticipated was quick in thawing her resolve. One of her legs started to inch away from the door to create an opening for Shirou. However, Samael seemed to have a complete different thought in mind.

"It's getting dark and I'd rather not have you stumble upon an enemy. Starving tonight would be a better choice to take."

"Wait, you can't just decide things for us like that." Saber loudly cleared her throat to get both men's attention. Her cheeks were reddened by the shame of falling this easily to the temptation of her stomach. "It is unwise to neglect the importance of a meal, otherwise we will not have the strength to protect ourselves in case of enemy attack."

"S-Still, I don't think it's worth the risk. I mean someone might attack him." With Saber's defection to Shirou's side turning the table against him, a rare perplexed look was starting to form on Samael's face.

"Do not worry, Burier. I will accompany him. I trust you have no qualm with it, Shirou."

"No, of course not." Satisfied with the fruition of his plan, Shirou headed toward the door as Samael's grip became loosened in defeat. "We should hurry then. The market will be close soon."

Throwing his triumphant smirk at Samael, Shirou left hurriedly with Saber in tow.

**Fuyuki City Park** **(18.58 PM)**

"Well, sorry for having you help me with my chore, Saber." With multiples grocery bags weighting down his arms, the pace of their return trip was slowed into a leisurely stroll.

"Please don't concern yourself with such trivial matters. It is Servants' duty to assist their Masters." Saber gave a somewhat dissatisfied response. Initially, they both insisted on being the one who carried all the groceries, but, after 5 minutes of what passersby thought to be a lover's quarrel, they finally settled for half-half.

"Don't think of yourself like that. You are more like a guest... no more like a friend to me."

"I am grateful that you hold me in such a high regard. However, your attitude is not a correct one to have toward your Servant, Shirou. I merely exist as your sword nothing more."

"Well, I don't think that a sword would single-handedly wolf down half the supplies in the house and insist that I double the amount of groceries that I usually buy, would it?"

"S-Shirou!" Saber interrupted in a flustered tone. "It is rude to comment about my eating habits, especially when I was trying to be serious."

"Sorry about that, it just crossed my mind and I couldn't stop myself."

"You should reflect on your actions, Shirou. For your atonement, you should see to it that tonight's dinner is heartily prepared."

"Well, I still don't see the relationship between atoning and cooking a feast big enough to fit your appetite-"

GRRRR

Like a loyal pet, her stomach let out a low grumbling sound to interrupt Shirou's teasing, although it unknowingly served to plunge Saber into deeper depth of embarrassment. With a deep shade of red started to creep into her cheeks, Saber helplessly tried to conceal this ungraceful action.

"Oh, now I see why the need for such a big meal." Trying to be considerate, Shirou attempted to place a control over his laughter, although all that he accomplished was to reduce it into breathless chuckles.

"Shirou, I'm feeling an inexplicable urge to be annoyed by your demeanor. You are mocking me, are you not?" Saber puffed up her cheeks and pouted slightly with annoyance. Her glare sent a message to Shirou that he took his teasing far enough.

"Don't mind it. Don't mind it. A feast it is then. I'll be giving my best tonight so look forward to it." Seeing the trace of anger melting away from her face, Shirou silently chuckled at the ease in which his indignant Servant could be appeased.

"Yes, I suppose I will. Just make sure to do a good job with tonight's dinner." Saving her face from further embarrassment, Saber sped up and marched away from Shirou, although she went no further than a few steps and stopped dead in her tracks.

"Saber? What's wrong?"

"Stay here. I'll be back in a moment," Saber lowered her voice as if to warn him to be careful. With newly materialized Excalibur in hand, she dropped her grocery bags and rushed through the street like a gust of wind.

"Wait! What going on?" Shirou cried out after her Saber's figure, although he received no answer from her.

"Apparently, she seems to be preoccupied with chasing Rider. Isn't it sad that your Servant seems to prioritize defeating an enemy over your safety?" A foreign voice came from a lone man on the other side of the street. His voice was smooth but sly and devious.

"Who are you?" Shirou raised his voice in an attempt to intimidate this stranger, although it only served to reveal his insecurity about not having a Servant by his side.

"Well, well, is that how your address your friend nowadays Emiya? I'll overlook it this time, since we have a lot of catching up to do."

Eventually recognizing the owner of the voice, Shirou stared incredulously at the man before him. Only a single word could be squeezed from his constricted throat.

"Shinji."

* * *

**Author's Note**

I would like to ask you readers to give a little review, if possible. The number of review that I've received in the last few chapters has been somewhat discouraging. Since the reason that I write this story is solely to improve my writing skill, I would really appreciate if you would just take a couple of minutes to review, rate, give a suggestion, so that I would be able to improve. Thank you for all who can spare some time. **  
**


	12. That Which Cannot Be Conceded

**Chapter 12: That Which Cannot be Conceded**

"It's been a quite a while since we last talked, Emiya. Things would have been much easier for me if you'd just come to school today, but I understand that a novice magus like you must be busy with preparation." Shinji casually approached Shirou with an entirely nonchalant gait. Much of the initial tension was lost as both men realized that there was no need for violence.

"Shinji, you are also a Master?"

"Slow as always, huh? Must I repeat myself?" An arrogant smirk was evident on Shinji's face. Apparently, he made no attempt to hide it.

"But, you don't have a command spell." Although it crossed his eyes only for an instant, Shirou knew that he couldn't have mistaken its absence on Shinji's right arm.

"That is only for amateurs. I don't that need the spell to control my Servant." Shinji's smirk completely disappeared as he bolted back to hide his right arm. It took a while before he could regain his composure and continued. "Anyway, there is one reason why I took so much effort to have this opportunity to talk with you. Be grateful, Emiya, I'm offering an opportunity for you to be my partner."

"Partner? Oh, I see." Shirou's posture became completely relaxed as soon as he heard the purpose of Shinji's visit. However, his relief only came for a fleeting moment.

"You should consider this a privilege because, unlike an amateur like you, I've already taken steps to assure my victory. It's a pity that you couldn't come to school today or you would already see my work."

"What have you done to the school?" Shirou immediately became tense at Shinji's word. His thought wandered to the ominous subject of Servants and the consumption of souls.

"Why don't you go and see for yourself, although I don't know whether you will be able to appreciate the fruit of my work." Shinji approached and placed a hand on Shirou's shoulder. Although the gesture appeared friendly, he found it to be repulsive. "If you decide to join my side, you know where to find m-"

Shirou didn't wait for his friend to finish. His legs were already carrying him with all possible haste. As much as he would like to slug Shinji's face, he would rather assure the safety of the other students than indulge in the momentary pleasure.

Since Sakura and Taiga were told not to drop by for the day, Shirou had no other means to gain any knowledge on the current development at the school. Shirou's imagination ran wild to every outlandish possibility, without sufficient information to calm his fear**.**

_No, it mustn't happen. I won't allow anyone to die!_

Fearing the worst, each of Shirou's steps was hastened with determination, despite the protesting ache in his lungs. No matter what predicament was laying in wait, Shirou could only hope that he would make it in time.

**Homurabara High School** **(19.11 PM) **

"Huff, huff." Pushing his out-of-breath body to its limit, Shirou finally reached the school after long minutes of sprinting. It was only until he saw the building intact that he could manage to stop for a little rest.

Alas, he knew that the outer appearance might just very well be a façade to hide the scene of a massacre. He couldn't bring himself to take a breath of relief until every corner of the building was thoroughly searched. Still, the process should be easy enough now that the most of the students had gone home.

_Unless they are all dead by now_. A pang of thought invaded Shirou's consciousness before he could repel it with a strong shake of his head. _I have to be positive. They must be alright. They must be! Damnit!_

With the merciless apprehension giving him no chance of resting, Shirou dragged his uncooperative body to search a way through the front gate. However, he needed to go no further to recognize the source of trouble that was growing within the school.

A sudden thick scent assailed his nostrils. Although its basis was fragrant like incense, the smell was concentrated to the point of becoming nauseous. Shirou gripped the metal bar of the gate tightly to prevent himself from collapsing to the ground. Swallowing the sickly taste of bile that threatened to spill from his throat, he escaped to the other side of the street, where he leaned on the wall for a little breather.

"What-what the hell was that?"

"I'm surprised, Emiya-kun, that you would also be able to feel this disturbance."

"Gaah!" For the second time that day Shirou was startled by a female that caught him during a moment of vulnerability.

"What's with that _Gaah_? I'm not that scary am I?" Rin gave him a pitying look before she continued to intently observe the school.

"Tohsaka, what is that?"

"A force field," Rin replied without glancing back. "One of the worst kinds there are. Once activated, it will drain the life of everything that's inside."

"Can you do anything about it?" Shirou bit his lips in frustration.

"The force field may be crude and still incomplete, but it was too powerful for me to destroy. It must a work of a Servant." Although she concealed the traces of concern in her face, some of the emotion still spilled to tinge her voice. "Geez, what type of Master would make such a bold move in the beginning of the war, anyway?"

While Rin was busy complaining about the current predicament, a certain realization drained the color from Shirou's face. There could be no mistake. The force field was Shinji's doing. Despite the fact that he already had a sneaking suspicion for it, seeing the force field in person only amplified the disgust he bore towards it.

"Emiya-kun, did something happen? You are awfully pale." Seeing the immediate changes that Shirou went through, Rin decided to break him out of his reverie.

"Nothing much, I'm still feeling sick from the time I tried to pass through the gate. Was it the force field doing?" Shirou lied. Although the nausea did linger, it clearly wasn't the main reason that the color had been drained from his face.

"It may be possible, but you must really sensitive to be affected this strongly when the force field is not complete." Giving the school another scanning glance from its top to bottom, Tohsaka turned around and left. "At any rate, should we return home then?"

"Wait, we're not doing anything? You said that it would kill anyone inside, didn't you?" Shirou protested in disbelief.

"Yes, but only after it is activated and it would be difficult to do anything now that the school is closed, unless you want a run in with security. Come on, Emiya-kun, let's go home. We can decide what to do later."

"Are you sure it will not activate sometime soon?" Unable to put his mind to rest, Shirou repeated his question.

"Of course, don't underestimate me. I wouldn't make mistakes about something like this. Anyway, Emiya-kun, didn't you leave the house with Saber? I don't see her around."

"Ugh. W-we kinda got separated along the way, nothing too serious, or at least I hope so." Suddenly overshadowing his concern for fellow school members was a more apparent threat regarding an enraged Saber.

Not only had he disregarded her orders for him to stay put, but her most prized grocery bags were also left unattended in the middle of the street where he'd been talking with Shinji. Although the decision used to appear as the most viable one when all he could think of was his friend's safety, its appeal was quick to deteriorate, now that he started to worry about his own.

Still, with no other options available, Shirou decided to at least salvage all that remained from this mistake. "Tohsaka, you should just return before me. There is somewhere that I need to go first."

"It's already getting dark, Emiya-kun. Is it that important?"

"Yes, it really is important, so just head home before me." _What do you mean that important? I'm trying to save my ass from a beating here_. Shirou had no time to respond to Tohsaka before he started sprinting with all his might. Despite the staggering odds against both, all that he could do was to hope that Saber would have yet to return or at least the groceries would remain untouched. If not, well, he rather not think about the worst case scenario too deeply.

The mere thought of it made the hairs on his back stood with a chill.

**Fuyuki City (19.25 PM)**

Now that he started to approach his meeting point with Saber, Shirou's steps slowed into stealthy trudges along the wall. Although there wasn't much point in hiding himself incase Saber had already returned, a few seconds would be crucial in steeling his mind for her punishment.

However, as he carefully peeked over the wall, Shirou couldn't believe his luck. On the contrary to his fear, Saber was nowhere to be found and the grocery bags also remained untouched in the middle of the street where he'd left them. It was the best scenario possible.

Unbeknownst to him, the earlier stroke of luck had just deserted him in that moment. A firm hand landed and stopped his movement with a grip on his shoulder. Apparently, there was no need to question the identity of the person behind him.

"Oh, you've returned Saber." Keeping his apprehension at bay, Shirou tried to appear as if nothing was amiss. "Is everything alright?"

"Yes, Shirou, everything is fine now, saved for one thing," Saber replied with a bright smile that appeared to be no more than the mere twitching of her lips.

"W-Which is?" An inexplicable apprehension crept up Shirou's back as he waited for her answer.

"I would like to know just where you were in the past thirty minutes."

"Uh, Toilet!" With nothing else in mind, Shirou had to settle for this poor excuse.

Apparently, Saber had noticed his earlier disappearance and took off again to search for him. Shirou's hope of getting out of the situation safely seemed to be slipping further and further away from his grip.

"I see that you must have been in a real hurry to leave our groceries in the middle of the street, but you could have held it in for a couple of minutes. I was starting to fear that you might've been taken by other Masters." Although the smile on Saber's face didn't falter, Shirou could swear that he saw veins popping on her forehead. "No matter what I do, it seemed that you can never grasp the gravity of the situation. I think I may need another talk with you, after all."

"Wait, let's just calm down. I mean I'm here, safe and sound, so why don't we just pick up the grocery and return hom-"

Splotch!

_No. Fucking. Way_.

Shirou's jaw dropped at the malevolent turn of fate. The bags that had lain safely on the ground until that moment were run over by a car that rarely pass the street in this area of the Fuyuki City. Shirou made a muffled choking sound at the realization that Saber would soon be doing the very same thing to his head. Desperately, he tried to diffuse the situation. "Umm, Saber, you are angry, right?"

"Absolutely." Just when he thought she couldn't be any angrier, more veins started popping in her forehead than he could count. "I would like you to have a piece of my mind, so can you come closer?"

"A-Alright." Like a prison inmate walking to his execution ground, Shirou hesitantly approached her. He braced himself for impact as soon as he heard Saber drawing her breath sharply.

"WHAT WERE YOU THINKING SHIROU? GOING TO TOILET AT A TIME LIKE THIS!" As if a lioness had roared into his ears, Shirou was knocked back with ringing ears by the sheer force of her voice. Without waiting for him to recover, her scolding continued. "Don't you see that there are people who are after your life? If you do understand that at least, please be more wary of your situation in the future."

Shirou lowered his head and silently endured her scolding. His only solace laid in the knowledge that he did have a sound reason for running off frantically, although he dared not divulge it to her in fear of the potential harm that would befall his friend.

_Now is not the time_, Shirou told himself to restrain his own tongue, which was itching to throw an excuse just to avoid her scolding. _I need to confirm it with Shinji_.

"Were you listening to me?" Saber's harsh tone brought Shirou out of his reverie.

"Yes, ma'am!" Knowing that his absentmindedness had just plunged him deeper into this mess, Shirou erased the contemplative look off his face and straightened his posture.

"Shirou," Saber growled at the realization her earlier words had slipped completely through his mind. "You should start to reflect on your actions and take my words seriously. Must I resort to physical means to convey my message?"

"W-Wait, calm down. I mean I'm really regretting what I did, so please." The excuses and apologies that Shirou offered were in vain as they made absolutely no progress in quelling her anger. However, as he hung his head to receive another episode of her scolding, help seemed to come in the most unexpected form possible.

An aged hand placed a gentle grip on Saber's right arm, forcing her to snap her head backward to an unlikely sight. There were two parental smiles, one from a man and another from a woman. Both were well aged and appeared to have a kindly look on their face.

"My, my, there is no need to be aggressive deary," The woman started in a gentle tone. "Perhaps, you shouldn't be so harsh on him. It breaks this old woman's heart to see young couple fighting like that."

"Couple! No, I mean-" A deep blush crept over Shirou from the manner that they were being misaddressed. However, the old man seemed to pay him no heed.

"That's right. Instead of fighting, you two should be making kids. This country already has a low enough birth rate as is, you hear?" In contrast to his spouse's gentleness, the old man was masked with an elderly vigor that was put up in defiance of the frailty of his physical self.

"W-Wait, please listen to me. We ar-"

"We are not in any way romantically related." In contrast to Shirou's clearly agitated demeanor, Saber gave a composed explanation to the old couple.

"Oh, I see. I'm sorry, but these old eyes are not as sharp as they used to be," the old lady responded.

"But fighting is still no good, you hear. You have to talk, talk, and talk and figure way to resolves things until you don't have any more energy to be angry. That's the way to make your marriage last, you hear." The old man ranted on without a single care about their earlier objection, at least, until his wife shushed him.

"I'm sorry about that. Sometimes his age does catch up to him."

"No, I understand. Despite the misunderstanding, I appreciate your advice." Amused by the old couple's antics, the small smile that was starting to form on Saber's face repelled all traces of her earlier frown.

"That's right, deary. You have a beautiful face to begin with, so don't ruin it with a scowl."

"Why, thank you." While Saber did give a proper response to the woman's compliment of her beauty, it was no more than an obligatory gesture, as she clearly bore no sentiment toward such a feminine trait. "We really have to go, so if you don't mind?"

"I see. Hopefully, you'll get along better next time we meet."

"And don't forget about the kid, you hear?"

"Right, right, dear, let's stop bothering them." The old woman had to drag her babbling spouse on their way, although she did so in a playful manner. Soon, Shirou and Saber was left to be the only pair on the lonely street. Saber was the first to break silence as Shirou was too afraid of further scolding to say a word.

"Let's go home. I'm no longer in a mood to scold you."

As soon as her words entered his ears, Shirou's face immediately brightened up in relief, earning him an annoyed scowl.

"However that doesn't mean you should disregard my words. Please make this last time that I need to lecture you on this." Despite what she'd said, the stern glint in her eyes had melted away, leaving her words to sound more like a request than an order as she gave it to him with a pleading look.

"Uh, oh right." Shirou, with the new-found guilt, could only mumble incoherent words in his reply for this lecture clear wasn't going to be her last.

With the force field threatening the school, the next occasion requiring him to perform another death-defying stunt was fast approaching, perhaps as early as tonight.

**Emiya Household (19.45 PM)**

Another meeting was quickly arranged within the Emiya household to address the newfound issue. While the other members were engrossing themselves in the topic, Shirou clearly was absentminded. It took a while before he could turn his attention to the matter at hand and rejoin the conversation.

"So that's all we know of the current situation." Rin plopped down on her seat as she finished her part of explanation and gave a questioning glance at Shirou who had remained silent since the beginning of the conversation. "Emiya-kun, you sure you don't want to add anything?"

"No, we should just move on to discussing how to deal with it." Shirou quickly changed topics before Rin could reveal the fact that he was also present when the force field was discovered. Following his suggestion, the topic was dropped and the meeting moved on to the next phase.

"In case it is activated, what is the estimated damage?" Samael asked while rubbing his chin in thought.

"At its worst, everyone in the school would fall victim, so maybe a few hundred."

"Basically, while the casualties may be considerably high, the overall scope is still quite limited." Samael involuntarily scrunched his face as he pondered the current situation. One could almost the gears clunking in his head. "In that case, I suppose it would do well for us to leave the matter for later. As of now, Abel and I already have our hands full with the hunt for Dracula."

"Samael! We can't just leave these people to be trapped."

"I'm afraid efficiency is not cheap to buy. Rather than dividing our resources for another blind search, it'll be easier to use your ability to trace the magic pathway of the force field to its user once he activates it. If you work fast enough, we might be able to limit the loss of lives to the bare minimum before we can undo the force field."

"In that case, the two of you will not be taking part in hunting down the perpetrator, is that correct?" Although she maintained her calm exterior, Saber was somewhat pleased that the Buriers would not participate in this hunt, thus reducing the potential interaction between them and Shirou.

"Yes, I deem that the threat that Dracula brings is of a much higher degree than this single force field. It is unfortunate, but expect no support from us, at least, until the field is activated."

"Do as you wish. We'll find a way to stop the force field ourselves." The uncharacteristic aggressiveness in Shirou's voice caught the others by surprise.

"I'm genuinely surprised that you didn't start to protest my decision like you always do. I'm starting to miss it a little."

"I don't see any good my protest could do, if you wouldn't listen," Shirou responded coldly. "I'll just take the matter into my own hands and save everyone."

"Although you toned down that self-righteous attitude, no effort was given to cure your naïve ideal, I see." Archer appeared somewhat annoyed to see that the shift in Shirou's attitude had done little to curb his idealism.

"And what is wrong trying to save everyone? Isn't it normal to aim for the best outcome?" Shirou countered fiercely.

"Now that is where I consider your view naïve. Tell me, what would you say to be the best outcome? One that everyone is saved?"

"Of course," Shirou answered without the slightest trace of doubt and hesitation. "It may be difficult, but I will do everything in my power make sure that it would happen."

"It is not only difficult, such outcome is impossible to be obtained by you, in the first place." Archer scoffed at Shirou in a clear demeaning manner. "That kind of thinking is merely fallacy inflated with your egotistical ideal."

"It isn't! All that it takes is for me to be the one who take up all the strains." Shirou snapped right back.

"In that case, let's say you found yourself in the middle of a hostage situation. My question is, would you be able to truly act in accordance to your ideal and save everyone."

"Perhaps if I can subdue the perpetrator," Shirou argued right into Archer's trap.

"So now, in addition to being a senseless dreamer, you are also being a hypocrite," Archer shot back triumphantly. "People don't normally regard those who prevent them from achieving their goal as a hero. While the perpetrator wasn't killed, you were no more to him than a nuisance."

Archer's response made Shirou grit his teeth in anger, but he wasn't about to trade the small scheme that was being hatched in his mind for temporary satisfaction. Due to its risky nature, his plan was better to be kept a secret than to face the risk of being disapproved by his overprotective partner.

"Do you understand now? If you insist on clinging on to your ideal only despair awaits you at the end of this road."

"You're wrong! I already have a-" Provoked by Archer's words, Shirou nearly blurted his secret, before he could bite his traitorous tongue from uttering another word.

"Have what? No matter what idea you might have cooked up, I doubt it would make any difference-"

"Archer! I think that should be quite enough. We're not trying to pick a fight with one another here," Rin interrupted her Servant in a sharp tone.

"Very well, Rin, if you say so." The usual playful smile on Archer's face was completely gone, wiped off by the passion that suddenly flared as they strayed into this topic.

"And, Emiya-kun, you are not hiding anything from us, are you?" Seeing that Archer had complied with her request, Rin turned to address Shirou whose suspicious actions had garnered her attention since their meeting at the school.

"No, of course not," he snapped. Although Shirou would normally leave some telltale signs when he lied, all signs of insincerity was being camouflaged by the anger in his voice.

"Very well, I'll believe you for now. At any rate, we'll have to go to school to thoroughly investigate the force field tomorrow and try not to be late. If the other Master is really in the school, it would be better to not give him any reason to suspect us." With that said, Rin brought the discussion to a close. However, much of his earlier argument with Archer raged in Shirou's mind and strengthened his resolve.

There would be no more dillydallying. His plan would be put into action tonight. All he needed was just the right time to sneak out.

**Emiya Household** **(23.15 PM)**

"Shirou, where are you going?" Saber's voice pierced the futon and stopped Shirou's tiptoeing feet in their tracks.

"T-Toilet! I'll be back soon." Shirou responded with the first excuse on top of his head, although he soon came to regret it.

_Toilet again? Damned, I should start finding new excuses._ Still, luck seemed to be on his side as Saber wasn't too suspicious of his claim.

"I see, but next time please tell me before leaving the room, or I might get the wrong impression that you are trying to sneak out... perhaps, I should accompany you to the toilet just to be on the safe side."

"Absolutely not!" Shirou gave a loud yelp in surprise, earning him a disapproving glare from Saber, before he could lower his voice. "Well, I mean other people might start to be suspicious if they see us leave the room and return together. It would be better that we raised as little suspicion as possible for this trap to work, right?"

"I-I see. You got a point there, Shirou." Saber had a troubled look on her face, although she reluctantly conceded to his reason.

"Right? And I told you that I would be brief, didn't I?"

"Still, please be on your guard. We never know when the enemy is going to strike. I know I'm repeating myself, but please do call me if any trouble arises." Saber finished what she had to say and slip under the blanket.

"I know. Don't worry," Shirou gave a hasty reply and left, but, obviously, not for the toilet.

Without any more hassle, saved for a minor panicking episode when his hands couldn't find the shoelace in the dark, Shirou made a dash to the front door and slipped on his worn-out running shoes. Although Rin would've returned to her room in the separate building and the Buriers should already be well on their way for nightly patrol at this time of the night, Shirou would rather not take his chances and alert Saber by turning on the light.

Compelled by the sense of urgency, Shirou rushed outside with one shoe half tied and another wrapped in a bizarre knot that would definitely give him a hard time in the near future, but he wasn't about to pay them any heed.

The street was dark and generally deserted as if deliberately assisting his purpose. Shirou relied on the darkness to obscure his movement, while shifting from one shadowy corner to the next.

He had to move quickly. It wouldn't be long before the paranoiac Saber would commence a search for him. Still, the guilt from deceiving her tied Shirou's stomach into an uncomfortable knot, but, as far as he could foresee, there was no other option. With her arbitrary penchant for violence, Saber would just rely on her sword than her words to do the negotiation.

Although subduing the perpetrator by force would only induce a blemish to the otherwise perfect outcome, he wasn't willing to make any compromise. He will save every one for the sake of his ideal and he wouldn't settle for anything less. Luckily, he already had a plan to achieve this lofty goal.

Perhaps it was due to his optimism or excess of confidence. In his callow mind, it was easy enough to convince Shinji to see the brutality of the force field and voluntarily shirk away from such strategy. If a person's cannot be saved by bending their will, he simply had to change them for the better.

Shirou hastened his steps to reach the Matou House, all the while being oblivious to a pair of eyes maliciously stalking his every movement.

**-Chapter 12 End-**

* * *

**A/N**: The intermission is just a light humorous piece that is not really related to the story. Anyway, I hope that it'll come as a nice change from the depressing mood of the story. **  
**

**Intermission: Tonight We Dine in Hell **

"Alright, you lot, dinner time." Samael's hoarse call echoed through the wooden hallway of the Emiya house along with the metallic clanging of a ladle against a pot, brusquely calling the residents to gather at the dining room.

In response to his call, the remaining residents unenthusiastically started to proceed toward the dining room. It was the fourth night after the initiation of the new members into the Emiya household and the first night in their rotating cooking shift that Samael would prepare their dinner. The surrounding gloom made it apparent that none of the members were looking forward to a meal by another Burier.

After having their palate refined by the two consecutive nights of sumptuous feasts by the more experienced chefs among their rank, namely Shirou and Rin, their inflated expectations were quick to be crushed by the last night's menu.

Once presented with their respective plates, the group could only marvel at how Abel's paranoiac fear of over-seasoning and food poisoning could compel him to rob all the ingredients of their natural taste into this epitome of blandness. Then again, considering his fearful nature, such thing was to be expected, along with the shower of apologies to condone his pathetic excuse for a food.

Despite all grievances, the lack of any distinguishable flavor or smell allowed the tasteless overcooked goop to be swallowed with relative ese. Still, the whole escapade brought the group into realizing the danger of leaving their mouths to be fed by someone who could barely tell a pan from a pot.

This development called for an emergency meeting on the issue of whether or not to let the newcomers continue to perform such a crucial duty to their livelihood. Although Samael strongly insisted that his cooking skill was nothing like his partner's, his haggard appearance added little weight to this argument. Still, with none among them willing to be the one to relieve the overly enthusiastic Burier of his cooking duty, he was allowed to proceed via prior arrangement.

"Hey, Abel." Desperate to clear this apprehension, Shirou hoped for an answer from Abel. "Can you give any thought on Samael's ... cooking skill?"

"Well, umm, Samael rarely cooks, let alone enters the kitchen, but I heard from those, who were fortunate... or unfortunate enough to do so that his cooking was good enough to send them to heaven."

"By that, did they mean it literally or figuratively?"

"Umm, I guess we're about to find out for ourselves. In case things turn out for the worst, I'll be praying for our souls or, at least, our stomachs."

"Alright, apologies for taking my time, but here is your meal, hot and ready to be eaten." With more gaiety to his movements than his usual robotic motion, Samael placed a pot in the middle of the dining table and removed the lid.

The ruthless odor that immediately diffused from its container confirmed their initial fear. Reluctantly, they shifted their gazes downward to examine the pot's contents.

What they saw inside was pure terror.

True to his word, Samael's otherworldly cooking was nothing like his partner's. The mountain of oily ooze that was bubbling inside seemed to be a closer relative to toxic waste than anything remotely edible.

"What in the world is this?"

"Apparently, it is mashed potato." Throwing a deadpan look at his inquirer, Samael replied without the slightest trace of humor.

"Right, very funny, but now is a good time as any to drop the joke..." Shirou's comment gradually grew silent as Samael shot him a look that said _Do I seem to be joking?_

"Wait, you're not joking."

"Glad you caught on to that at last. Making this dish is not easy, you know?"

_Of course, even after all these years cooking experience, I still have no freaking idea how you turn completely harmless potatoes into this chemical weapon. _

"Come to think of it, there really no need for us, Heroic Spirit, to sustain ourselves with food, is there? After all, we can live off the magic energy of our Master."

"Hmm, fair enough, these foods have better use to those who need them for energy. Still, I don't mind sacrificing my portion to let you have some."

"No, no, don't mind me. Oh, and I don't think Saber can use this same method as me, seeing how her Master cannot provide her with any energy. It truly envious, but I suppose she'll have to join your table. Anyway, just go ahead enjoy yourself with this _feast_." Stressing the last word with a mocking tone, Archer hurriedly disintegrated into his spirit form, but not before making sure that no one else can take the same easy way out.

"Traitor," Both Saber and Rin cursed under their breath.

"Well, at any rate, time to dig in."

"W-Wait, Samael, are you sure this really is edible?" Fearing for his life, Abel tried to make a last ditch attempt to convince Samael to see the horror of his own food.

"What do you mean edible? The only thing in there is potato."

'But still, it doesn't look like it was made from-"

"How unsightly." Defying everyone's expectations, the comment came from Saber. "It seemed that people nowadays no longer understand the true purpose of a meal. No matter the taste, a meal is sufficient with necessary nutrition."

"Well, I don't find that particularly convincing from someone who almost dragged me out of bed to cook your breakfast."

"T-These matters are totally unrelated, Shirou!" Saber tried to defend her standing with an embarrass hue on her cheek. "While I did enjoy your cooking, it doesn't make me more attached to this temptation of my stomach."

"Alright, alright, whatever you say."

"Shirou, I don't like that condescending tone of yours. Fine, I'll show you!" Saber exclaimed and put a large spoonful into her mouth. After a few moment of forcing herself to swallow the odious mixture, Saber returned her spoon on the table without displaying any sign of ailment.

"See? That's the spirit, people. Come on, dig in. Dig in." Samael urged the remaining member to take their chance after his spirit was lifted by Saber's action

Seeing that Saber had survived her first spoonful, everyone else reluctantly followed suit and lifted a small spoon of toxin into their mouth. The next scene that happened was a sight to behold.

"Urghh!"

"Graghh!"

It was a massacre: multiple bodies falling flat on the ground with painful grunts and groans, limb twitching in weird angles to eventually grow still, and pale face foaming in a desperate attempt to remove the foreign substance that had just enter they body.

"What a waste. It seems that this superior taste was too much for them to handle. Don't you thinking so, Saber?" Samael turned to address the last person that remained seated upright in the room, alas he received no reply. Curious, he took a peek at her face, only to discover that she too had fallen to the evil clutch of his cooking. It was pride alone that supported her body from falling to the ground like the others.

Lamenting the fact that none had the taste for his culinary art, Samael took a large spoonful of his so-called mashed potatoes. The next thing that he realized was that not even the angel of death is immune to his own poison. As numbness raced across his body, Samael's face found its landing spot right the middle of his own culinary terror and the carnage was complete.

It took the whole night before their bodies could finally be rid the poison that had invaded their systems, but not without much pain, cramps, and emergency trips to the toilet or the bush, depending whether the toilet was occupied.

From then on, it became unanimously decided that Samael was to be indefinitely banned from setting foot in the kitchen for as long as he live.

* * *

**A/N: **

For those who are willing to spare some of their time, I just want to ask whether my OCs seem to be a Mary-Sue in your eyes. All opinions and criticisms are welcomed and will be used to further improve this story. Thanks in advance for your cooperation and review are appreciated as always.


	13. The Collapse of Ideal

**Chapter 13**: **The Collapse of Ideal **

**Matou Household (23.29 PM) **

"Come on, just open up already," Shirou muttered, repeating the same phrase to over and over as he paced around, waiting for the front door of Matou residence to be unlocked. He'd already pressed the door bell once, but, being driven restless by anxiety, the few minutes of waiting seemed unbearably slow.

Just as he was about to lose control and start banging on the front door, a small click indicated that someone had responded to his call. With a creak, the door slowly swung open.

"Senpai? What is going on?" It was Sakura who came to greet him in her night gown.

"Is Shinji here?"

"Nii-san? Please wait a second." With confusion evident on her face, Sakura turned around to fetch the man in question, but there was no need for Shinji was making his way to the door at that very moment.

"What's with this poor visiting time? Learn some manners, Emiya."

"Sorry if I woke you, but I got caught up in some business. Anyway, Shinji, are you-" Being as tactless as ever, Shirou wasted no time in diving head first into this secretive matter, although he was cut off in the middle as Shinji made a quick hand sign to hush him.

"Not here. Don't you remember that we'll have secretive about this matter? No wonder, you're still amateur."

"Fine, where would you rather discuss it then?"

"There's a much better place around here for listening to your request. Follow me."

Without any hesitation, Shirou followed Shinji's lead to the outside street, for he was certain that violence was an unlikely outcome of their conversation. All the while, he juggled the array of arguments that had been prepared beforehand to sway Shinji from the evil of his own action. They were well rehearsed and ready to be catapulted from his tongue.

Determination augmented each of his steps as they circled behind the Matou house to reveal a forest that lined this rural area of Fuyuki City. Ignoring the fiery red shade of autumn that seemed to warn him against setting foot in the forest, Shirou brushed the obstructing foliage to the side and allowed Shinji to lead him into the wilderness.

**Nearby Forest (23.47 PM)**

"This should be far enough. We can talk here." After a couple minutes trek into the wilderness, Shirou finally ran out of patience. Their trek into the forest wasn't an easy one, with the darkness and dense concentration of trees that were blocking their path. It also didn't help that the only source of brightness in this otherwise total darkness was Shinji's small flash light.

"Don't be hasty. We're almost there. Unlike you, I'm not so sloppy as to just have this conversation anywhere."

"This is enough delay, Shinji. I don't have much time and it's far enough that no one would overhear us."

"Fine, it's your loss, Emiya." Shinji shot Shirou a look of displeasure for turning down his offer, but otherwise decided to move on with the conversation. "So you've finally decided that you're too weak to keep yourself alive and have decided to request my aid."

"Before I can do so, there is something I need to ask you." The glint of suspicion in Shirou's normally gullible eyes startled Shinji, although he adapted to it reasonably fast.

"Can't be helped, I suppose. After all a newbie like you would do well to learn from a veteran."

"Shinji," Shirou took a deep breath to ensure that the next part would not come out in a stammer, "were you the one who created the force field around the school?"

As silence descended between the pair, Shirou could only attempt to reassure himself of his friend's innocence. However, his effort was rendered futile by the revelation that came in the next moment.

"So you've found it. I thought that I hid force field well enough. Beginner's luck is really something to be reckoned with, isn't it?"

Shirou had no reply to Shinji's demeaning statement. Although he had already anticipated this outcome, hearing the confirmation from the perpetrator's own lips left him no solace. When Shirou gathered enough strength to find his voice, the new-found disgust had transformed it into a fierce growl.

"What were you thinking setting something like that at the school? That force field will kill anything inside, won't it?"

"Of course, you think I wouldn't know that? After all, I'm the one that ordered my Servant to prepare the force field. The other students... well, they have my sympathy but they would serve me as an extra energy source. There aren't many places that we young people gather." The absence of guilt in Shinji's tone served to further infuriate Shirou, who was nearly on the verge of losing control.

"Listen, you damned idiot, this is wrong. You can't justify killing all these people just for your own sake."

"The idiotic one is you, Emiya. There's nothing wrong with us, the chosen ones, taking a few hundred lives to receive the Holy Grail's power. Just imagine, the power to change the whole world, the past, and the future just lying at the tip of your fingers."

"Use your brain for a second. What's the point of winning the grail if you have to kill your friend for it? Sakura wouldn't be happy with it and... I also wouldn't be happy." Seeing that arguing had led him nowhere, Shirou decided to adopt a change in strategy. The current approach of appealing to Shinji's emotions seemed to have a better effect than the directly arguing him into submission as seen from the troubled look on his face.

"Hey, this is really troubling, if you keep on trying to guilt trip me like that." As if to reinforce his point, Shinji gave a flamboyant sigh.

"Come on, it is not too late to reconsider. We can win the war without the force field." Seeing some progress, Shirou pushed on even harder.

"Well it really is troubling..." Shinji continued to sigh dramatically and grew silent for a moment as if he was greatly pained by what he has to say next. "...that I'll have to kill you this early on."

Realizing that danger was nearer than he'd thought, Shirou took a step backward for safety instead of persisting in his attempt to convince Shinji, as he normally would. If Saber was there, she would be leaping in joy that he had started to heed her words about being more wary of his surroundings.

A chained dagger lethally arced toward his eyes him from the height of the surrounding tree. However, with the head start, he managed to duck his head in time to escape its trajectory. Shirou traced his eyes along the length of the weapon to search for its wielder, but his view was obstructed by layers of branches and leaves.

"What was that, Emiya? I never thought that you would dodge it. In that case, I'll introduce you my Servant." A person slithered down the trunk of the tree to take her place beside Shinji. "This is Rider. She'll be the one to kill you."

Shirou was frozen by the sudden overflow of killing intent from her mere presence. His instinct and perception were in conflict with one another. While the person before him was clearly an admirable beauty, his instinct screamed in fear of the creature contained beneath her alluring shell.

"Just what is she?" Shirou squeezed the question out of his throat, although he received no reply before her assault continued.

As his luck has it, the dagger missed him by a hair's breadth. With all the obstacles in its path, her weapon was having a hard time reaching him without being slowed or intercepted by the protruding trunks and branches. Shirou could only shudder to think what would've become of him, if he had taken Shinji's offer and continued on toward the clearing that would've provided no cover from her weapon.

_Alright, I can do this_. The terrain advantage and a rush of adrenaline bestowed Shirou with confidence. As a Servant, Rider's physical capabilities were far inferior to that of Saber's and her weapon; although unique and unpredictable, also required a significant recovery time after each attack. The dagger, after all, had to be returned to her right hand before it could be thrown again.

Shirou saw his opportunity after her next poorly-aimed throw. In addition to being a few inches off, its poor trajectory also caused the dagger to be embedded in the trunk of the maple tree that stood by his side.

Spurring his body for the counterattack, Shirou made a rush at Rider. He gathered his entire strength in his arms, determined to settle the fight in one blow. However, with his eyes blinded by confidence, Shirou could go no more than his third step before his offensive phase stopped short.

"Garggh!" Shirou involuntarily cried out. He was forced to the ground by a sudden impact against his left leg. Even with the adrenaline numbing his sense of pain, a dull ache could still be felt, indicating its severity.

The silver gleam of Rider's dagger came into his sight just as he lowered his head. The weapon penetrated halfway through his thigh, only to be stopped by the solid structure of his femur.

Confused by its presence in his flesh, Shirou traced his eyes along the weapon to its user. Before him, Rider's right arm was still preoccupied with extracting her weapon. But another set of chain dagger could now be found, stretching from his leg to her once empty left hand.

Shirou came to realize his mistake. He was wrong to assume that she only wielded a single weapon and had paid the price for it. At least, he was grateful that it wasn't a few centimeters higher into the vital area of his body.

Despite being at a clear disadvantage, Shirou's persistence in finding a way to overturn the situation was finally rewarded with another plan, although of questionable workability. Before Rider could remove her weapon from his flesh, Shirou clamped his hands onto the chain.

With her right weapon stuck, she would be left unarmed if he could also remove her left weapon. With this thought in mind, Shirou started pulling with all his strength. The fight was then turned into a deadly match of tug of war.

While Shirou didn't particularly take pride in his strength, he was confident that he wouldn't lose to a female in a contest of raw power. At least, that was what inexperience in dealing with Servants had led him to believe.

Expecting the chain to be yanked right from Rider's grasp, the resistance that she put up took Shirou by surprise. In fact, she hadn't even removed her right hand from the other strand of chain to aid her left in this contest of strength.

"Arghh!"

With an overwhelming victory, Rider successfully retrieved her dagger from the combined force of Shirou's arm and leg muscle. The force in which it was extracted from his flesh worsened the trauma in his leg with torn muscles and heavy bleeding earlier plugged by the dagger itself.

With the tables turned against him, Shirou tried to move into the cover of a nearby tree. However, he failed to take into account that the injury had made his right leg unable to carry out his will. His attempt ended miserably a few steps from where he started. Shirou realized that he had no more time to escape as the dagger was already air bound.

_Please don't hesitate to call me when you are trouble._ _I'd rather that you ask for my help before things get out of hand_. Saber's words flashed into his mind. Perhaps she was right that he couldn't do anything right on his own, much less protect his own life. Swallowing the bitter taste of his powerlessness, Shirou was left with no other option.

"Come... Sabe-"

Shirou's voice was cut off. He was too concentrated on the daggers at each end of the chain to comprehend the sudden change in Rider's attack pattern. Instead of trying to run through his body, the chain had coiled around his neck like a serpent trapping its prey. The pressure that it induced choked all air from entering or exiting his lungs.

"Too bad for you, Emiya, but I'm not going to let you call your Servant."

The command spells glowed brightly with magic energy as if to mock him. Despite being fully charged with magic energy, they lacked the last ingredient for performing their miracle: his command.

In an attempt to free his strangled throat, Shirou furiously clawed at the chain. However, Rider wasn't so kind as to simply strangle him to death.

With a flick of her wrist, the chain dug into his flesh with an increased ferocity as it dragged him airborne. Rider's unseemly strength was in complete control of his body as she flung him into a nearby tree.

"Urghh!"

With a split second decision, Shirou managed to make a mid air rotation and let his shoulder instead of his head receive the full brunt of the impact. Still, there was no time for him even to take a breath of relief, for the metallic noose had started to propel his body toward another maple tree at a breakneck speed.

Being somewhat dazed by the earlier impact, it was too late for him to prepare for the next one by rotating his body to its less vulnerable side. The brownish green of the moss covered tree trunk spiraled closer and closer to his head, soon to be crushed against the rough surface like a tomato.

CRACK!

The impact shook the whole tree, causing its bloody red leaves to rain down to ground below. The sickening noise resonated through the forest as Shirou was slammed into the trunk. A trail of red painted the tree as his limp form collapsed to the ground.

"Urgh..."

A weak groan escaped Shirou's lips. The earlier impact to his head had induced a sudden dizziness, but that was about the entire extent of damage. His right arm, however, was a different story. The broken limb was bleeding profusely, after he had used it to cushion his head from the impact. There was little doubt that more than a few bones must have been broken.

The pain in his right arm diffused through his entire being. Now that the clear difference in their strength had crushed his false confidence in defeating a Servant, Shirou was left with nothing to shield him from the pain, which was earlier numbed by his bravado.

It was then Shirou finally came to realize the difficulty of just staying alive when facing a Servant. Although, up until now, he had managed to do so admirably, his luck was about to run out, as Rider was approaching the end of her patience.

Seeing that her prey had survived both sideways throws, Rider decided to adopt another change in her strategy. Gathering her strength in both legs, she leapt in the air and twisted her body to generate extra torque as she started to yank the chain for an overhead vertical slam.

The realization squeezed the last splurge of struggle from Shirou to free himself. Even if he somehow managed to shield himself with his other arm, he wouldn't be able to survive a collision with the ground from that height. His body was on fire partly from the physiological reaction in resisting death's grasp and partly from the familiar warmth that originated from his magic circuit.

Magic energy started to gather around his neck and reach its peak just as Rider's momentum had just lifted him off the ground. The scenery around him faded to a blur. His pain was distant. His fear was vanquished. The grip of Rider's chain seemed insignificantly weak, like a strand of thread waiting for him to snap.

"RARRGGH!"

Brimming with a groundless sense of superiority, Shirou gave a feral war cry. His consciousness seemed to suck itself in and the real world was lost to him for a split second.

Shirou no longer knew where he was, but he wasn't in a mindset that would actually care to find out. Under this sickly orange sky and over this parched earth, all that he could clearly see was the image of Rider's chain, fully ornate and gleaming in its silver radiance.

With a sudden yearning to defile and destroy this work of art, he stormed every part of her weapon with intense emotion, ripping it to shreds of metal. Unable to withstand his absolute power, the weapon completely shattered into million pieces.

He started laughing. The sight of every deformed ring of chain seemed to fill him with a sense of elation.

Laughter.

His crazed laughter echoed within this desolate realm, as it started to fade into oblivion, for it was the first time that he, the creator, had tasted the bittersweet joy of destruction.

The first thing that Shirou realized after his consciousness returned was that he was falling, after a snap and the clinking of chain. He safely tumbled to the ground, out of breath but out of the harm's way. Deformed metal rings scattered about him as if they were torn out of their original shape by sheer force.

As if mocking Rider, who had just retracted her weapon to inspect the extent of damage more closely, the remaining part also started to twist and bend out of shape, as if the contact with Shirou's magic energy had afflicted it with a severe ailment. The once impressive chained dagger was reduced to no more than a pile of scraps in her hand, even before she could get a clear look at it.

"It seems that you still have a trick up your sleeve, but I won't let you use it again."

The loss of her weapon had only inflicted the slightest effect upon Rider's composure as she switched to using the remainder of the pair to finish him off.

The sharp edge of the dagger accurately raced toward his eyes. There was no obstacle to affect its trajectory at such a short distance.

Red.

Shirou's vision was filled with red, but not from his own blood. A flowing red fabric momentarily covered his vision and repelled the dagger with a steely clang. Too exhausted to register the identity of the person before him, a soft feminine touch that supporting his collapsing body caught him by surprise.

"Seriously, Emiya-kun, now I'm starting to understand why Saber was so fed up with you."

Shirou eventually registered the person's identity from her voice and pattern of speech. This opportunity was the first that he felt such relief from seeing Tohsaka Rin standing beside him, ignoring the fact that she had a major scowl on her face.

"How? Why are you here?" Although he was grateful from her help, Shirou couldn't stop himself from asking in fear that Saber might be trailing behind them.

"Well, to tell you the truth, you weren't being exactly tactful with your secret. Beside, I could already have guessed it from the fact that you were able to find the force field. Since I took whole day to find it, it's a little farfetched that you could have done it in the same amount of time, don't you think?" Seeing her answer hadn't calm the agitation presented in Shirou's face, Rin realized the real reason for his query. "And, don't worry. I haven't told Saber about what you were doing here."

"Really!"

"Really," Rin affirmed with a sly grin. Her demeanor somehow reminded him of a cat that was playing with its prey. "But I might just happen to change my mind as soon as we return home."

"Please, anything but that." Without any second thoughts, Shirou abandoned his pride and beseeched her to be merciful enough to give a fair compensation for her silence.

"In that case, doing my chores for the week would be a fair enough price, don't you think?"

_One week! That's extortion you opportunistic little! _As to not enrage her, Shirou toned down his mental protest a little before he could say it aloud. "Wait, Tohsaka, I think that's a little..."

"Did you say something, Emiya-kun?" Detecting the slight protest from Shirou's facial expression, Rin pressed on to quench his little flame of resistance.

"Nothing, it's a fair deal." Feeling totally pathetic, Shirou conceded to her demand.

"Good, my lips will be sealed then." Rin's wide smirk at her successful negotiation was quick to disappear as her attention was brought back to the matter at hand by Shinji, who began to chime into the conversation.

"I never thought that you would be here too, Tohsaka." A rare glint of admiration was starting to form in Shinji's eyes as he addressed Rin, although it was quickly hidden by the cloud of his arrogance.

"Oh, hi, Matou-kun, I forgot that you're here too." In contrast to Shinji, Rin's eyes were completely filled with disinterest.

"This is an opportunity. Join me instead of Emiya. I'm a much better partner than that amateur. I'll even let you share some of the magic energy that I can reap from my force field." Shinji's ceaseless attempt to recruit was cut short.

SMACK!

A solid sound of impact prevented Shinji from finishing his sentence. A stinging sensation seared into his cheek from Rin's right palm, which had just delivered a slap with all the force it could muster.

Failing to perceive that she would react in this manner, Shinji was ill-prepared to receive the impact and fell down on his behind. His mouth periodically alternated between gaping wide and shutting close, giving him an entirely foolish look.

"Don't be too cocky. Now that I'm sure that you're behind the creation of that force field, your forceful invitation is merely an insult. I feel sick just by breathing the same air as a dirty coward like you." Rin responded evenly as she rubbed her aching right hand.

"You, you..." Shinji tried to come up with an insult of equal severity to her slander, although to no avail. The lack of word choices reduced his supposedly witty remarks to a mindless gurgle, thus he had to resort to a more tangible means to get even. "Rider! Kill her!"

Acknowledging her Master's command, Rider broke off from her fight with Archer and headed for his Master. However, Archer didn't make it easy for her.

"Not so fast. Your opponent is me." A flurry of slashes from Kanchou and Bakuya forced Rider to switch to defense as she drew back from the steely maelstrom.

Since the speed of both Servants was nearly equal, Rider was unable to disengage and switch her target without exposing herself to Archer's attack. With only one weapon remaining, Rider was starting to be pushed back away by Archer's superior close quarter skill.

The sound of combat eventually grew distant as the fight moved on elsewhere. Potentially far enough to not bring harm to either Master or, in other words, far enough for Rin to beat Shinji senseless before Rider could interfere.

"Matou-kun, I'm giving you a chance to surrender. There is no one to save you now that Rider is preoccupied with my Servant." Sparing no the time for Shinji to get back on his feet, the whole length of Rin's forearm started to glow with a string of runes. Although its pattern was of a much less intricacy than the command spells, the magic was still of considerable strength.

"Don't act like you have the upper hand. We are both magi, so you're not going to take me down easily." The fact seemed to elude Shinji, however, as he remained firm in his defiance.

"I see. In that case, rest assured, this spell is not lethal." With the gait of an executioner, Rin's index finger was pointed at Shinji like a gun barrel, ready to fire its first barrage. "If you're lucky, you'll just end up being hospitalized for a few days."

"Don't-Don't underestimate me!"

Although Rin was clearly the one that had all the advantages, it was Shinji who'd make the first move. Taking advantage of her confidence, Shinji slipped left hand to grab the spell book that was hidden out of view and threw a bolt of energy directly at her. Never anticipating his counterattack, Rin instinctively retreated to reassess the situation.

Shinji continued his attack in the misguided belief of his superiority, mistaking her prudence for weakness. However, unlike the first volley that had caught her by surprise, his second volley was easily deflected with a flick of her arm.

"Since you seem to be unable to tell the difference between a genuine magus and a wannabe who is totally dependent on a magic artifact, I'll give an important lesson. A real magus rarely relies on a tool to make magic, for we are proud of our natural ability to bend the world to our will. As such, magic tools are only meant to be used when the situation become dire."

"So what if I strengthen my power with the book, I'm still stronger than Emiya. Think about it, you are wasting this opportunity to recruit a stronger partner."

"Oh, I'm totally fine with not becoming your ally. As a magus, you are much weaker than Emiya-kun and, as a human being, your egocentrism sickens me so badly that I wouldn't even want to spend a few seconds near you, much less become your partner."

"SHUT UP! SHUT UP ALREADY!" Anger made Shinji barely capable of controlling each blast of his magic energy. Consequently, the majority of them merely ended up colliding with the surrounding obstacles, and the few that came close enough were deflected by Rin's superior magic energy.

"That won't do, Matou-kun. You have to maintain a calm disposition at all times when using magic or else you will lose control of it. Here, let me demonstrate."

The barrage of magic energy mercilessly tore through the barrier that Shinji had hastily put up and proceeded to pummel his unprotected form to the ground. Each bullet was deadly accurate in striking their designated area: shoulder joints, knee caps, sternum, and the middle of his eyebrows.

The simultaneous traumas to vital areas of his body caused Shinji to collapse to the ground in complete defeat. However, Rin couldn't care less for his groaning form. Her attention was focused on the spell book that had, at that moment, been engulfed in flame.

Her victory was absolute. Since Shinji's magic ability had originated from the book alone, its destruction was, more or less, equivalent to losing all command spells. That alone was more than enough reason to have his status as a participant revoked.

Seeing that the enemy had been defeated, Rin returned to inspect and give possible first-aid to Shirou's injuries. However, it seemed that any effort was barely needed as the bleeding had already stopped and new layer of flesh was about to be formed over the wound. "So it's the same as the time we were fighting Berserker, but we should disinfect your wounds, just in case."

"It's fine. It doesn't really hurt, if I don't put any weight on it. More importantly, I'm worried about you. I mean you couldn't shield yourself from his first attack."

"Likewise, there is no need for your worry. He was so weak that it makes me wonder how you even become a Master, in the first place. Emiya-kun, I thought that you were already the weakest of all the participants, but it seems like you are no longer on the bottom rung."

"I'm not really sure whether to be happy or depressed by that comment. Well, never mind that, is Shinji alright?"

"I've already said before. The spell that I used on him is not lethal, but he'll still be out cold for quite a while."

"That's a relief, at least." The knowledge allowed Shirou to withdraw his worried gaze from Shinji and balance himself up using Rin's shoulder. "Should we call am ambulance or something?"

"You are too soft. Crawling out of this forest on his own would be the least of his punishment for setting up the force field. With that injury it might take him a day or so, if he's lucky and wouldn't lose his way that is."

"Tohsaka...has anyone told you before that you're evil?"

"Well, if you are that worried, I'll make sure to drop by in a few days before he would starve to death."

"Yup, no mistake about it, you really are evil."

"Well, Emiya-kun, I don't think that is a wise idea, considering that you also need my help to get out of the forest, but enough of it. We should just meet up with Archer and return home." Coping with half of Shirou's weight on her shoulder, Rin started on their not-so-easy trek out of the forest, however, not before facing another complication.

"Toh~sa~ka!" A vengeful roar erupted from the supposedly unconscious form of Shinji. The fragile tower of ego and false pride that he had nurtured through the years was easily crumbled in one fleeting moment. There was nothing in his mind but to exact revenge from the one behind its destruction. With a pocket knife in hand, he darted toward her unsuspecting back.

Although Rin did eventually realize his assault, she was a tad too late. As it appeared, her underestimation of his barrier compelled her to hold back too much of her strength in the earlier attacks. Cursing the earlier decision to drop her guard after Shinji's defeat, she lifted her arms in a desperate attempt to protect her vitals.

"I won't let you!" Shirou gave a resolute cry just as Tohsaka was about to enter Shinji's arm range. With only one functioning leg and arm, the best he could manage was to launch himself headfirst to intercept Shinji.

It was a pathetic counterattack, but Shirou's effort wasn't wasted. Shinji had barely had the time to even make a single swipe at Rin before the impact knocked him off his feet, bringing both men down on the ground. After a few rolls on the ground, the pair came to a complete stop, alas it appeared that neither man was about to get back on their feet.

Bewildered by this unseemly rescue, Rin took a few moments to regain her composure.

"E-Emiya-kun, are you alright?" She approached the tangled pair for closer look at their condition. Seeing that her query had slipped through his ears, she repeated her question. "Can you hear me? Are you alright?"

Shirou heard her question, but he simply was in no shape to make a reply. A trail of red seeped into the white fabric of his shirt. His eyes were wide and unblinking. His limbs refused to move as if all vigor had been drained from them. His senses were appalled by the musky odor and dampness of human blood, especially when they weren't his own.

Under Shirou's body was Shinji's limp form, with the bloodied grip of the pocket knife protruding out of his neck. The weight of his whole body pressed down upon the blade's tip, allowing it to easily penetrate deep enough of into his flesh and lacerate his carotid artery.

In a matter of a few seconds, the shock robbed Shinji of his consciousness, but not before he could preserve in his eyes the horror of the approaching death. The glazed-over pair was directed at Shirou with its owner's last strength. They were both a plea for help and a curse directed to one responsible for his death with as much hatred and rage as a man could muster in his final moment.

"Shinji! Hang in there!" With good intention but misguided means, Shirou started to extract the knife in the hope of giving first-aid. The hilt was slippery after being lubricated by Shinji's blood, but Shirou eventually managed to remove the metal piece.

Alas all that he managed to do was to allow the thick red liquid to spray out as if from a leaky faucet. Panic arose as he received the full stream of blood in his torso and accidentally caught a few stray droplets in his gaping mouth. Shirou quickly removed his shirt and tied it around Shinji's neck in a haphazard attempt to stop the bleeding.

"Damn! Just stop flowing out! Damn it!" But the flow could not be stopped. Splotch of red continued to grow within the white fabric, dyeing the entire piece into its color. Shirou came to a realization that his help alone would not be sufficient in saving Shinji and clumsily whipped out his cell phone. "Ambulance! Right, I have to call ambulance!"

It was as if his sense of self and consciousness was dislodged by the impact of this confrontation. While he reacted to the scene in panic, the inner-most depth of his mind still remained in denial. Even the sight of the bloodied Shinji that lay sprawling on the ground still appeared unreal in his eyes that had yet to accept the vision as an irrefutable fact.

Still, his body had seemed to already precede his mind that was still yet to feel the impact of what had happened. While it went unnoticed by him, the trembling of his hands was so severe that it seemed impossible to even perform a simple action of punching in the sequence of 3 numbers.

"Do you want to get arrested? Beside, you can't let normal people know about the Grail War." Despite being equally shaken by Shinji's death, Rin managed to slap the small device out of Shirou's hand once she saw what he was about to do, although she was unprepared for his uncharacteristic response.

"Then what else should I do? I'm not going to watch him die!" Grabbing Rin by her shoulder, Shirou roared with abnormal ferocity and shook her frail form to vent out the anger. "I-I'm not going to let anyone die in front of me again!"

"...Emiya-kun, get a hold of yourself and look where we are. Even if we call an ambulance now, they wouldn't make it in time to save him." Rin took a deep breath to restore her composure. After all, having two panicking people screaming at one another wouldn't improve the situation. "I'm sorry but there really is nothing we can do. He's already dead."

"Dead...dead." The earlier veil of unreality in Shirou's mind was being peeled by the force of Rin's words. The new-found disgust forced him to back away from the corpse, as if to escape from the weight of his own sin.

However, Shirou could only go so far before he realized that his escape route was merely a dead end. Behind him was a solid wooden wall, blocking any path that led further away from the scene of his crime.

Without anywhere else to run or hide, the dam in his mind could no longer withstand the stress and was finally broken. All the negative emotions that were being temporarily suppressed flooded out in their pure intensity. The disappointment, the guilt, and the sorrow seared his mind, leaving their gashes and gouges in his conscience.

"Ahh! Ahh! ARGHHH!" Without any other way to lash out, Shirou could only profess his unrestrained outcry against everything that had gone wrong that night.

Involuntarily, his mind started to pick out every shortcoming that prevented the manifestation of his ideal into reality. Each fault was then dumped upon his shoulders, weighting as heavy as a slab of steel. The rough surface of the tree bark grated his back once he could no longer withstand the burden and slid down its length.

There were no words to describe his feelings. Neither was there any hapless soul who could empathize with his circumstance. The shock from having his hands stained by Shinji's blood was great, but it was easily surpassed another feeling of loss, one that seemed to be tearing a chunk out of his very soul. The portion that was earlier dedicated to house and shelter his ideal was now a little more than a shamble.

The outcome was only expected. Unlike the time when words of criticism were his only opposition, the rusty smell of blood and the gruesome sight had provided a much more tangible and, in all respects, influential foe to oppose his ideal.

The power of this new-found enemy was so overwhelming that even his own mind was starting to inch toward its side. As deep rooted in his mind as it was, his ideals could no longer withstand the attack. Soon, it was uprooted and withered into nothingness, devastating Shirou's mental realm into a hole-ridden wasteland.

Perhaps, it was already determined from the beginning or, perhaps, he'd simply made a blunder. Alas, it mattered no longer. It was now clear even to his eyes. Emiya Shirou was not meant to be a hero, never was and never will be.

Losing the only purpose that had sustained his being for ten years, Shirou collapsed to the ground with a whimper of abject defeat.

* * *

As long as it not too much of trouble, please leave a review. Truthfully, I'm rather discouraged by the lack of review, so if you can help it'll be great. After all, reviews are what allow me to improve my writing. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.


	14. An Awkward Recovery

Once again, I'm sorry about being so slow with this chapter. The area around house starting to flood like crazy, so it is a very hectic time for me. Hopefully things will turn to normal by the next month.

Anyway, enough of the serious stuff. Read, enjoy, and please leave a review.

* * *

**Chapter 14 : An Awkward Recovery**

**Emiya Residence (0.48 PM) **

"We're here, Emiya-kun." After an uneventful trek, Rin took the expressionless form of Shirou through the front door.

The recent ordeal had scarred Shirou so badly that the supports from Archer and Rin were both needed to return him home or, to be more precise, Archer's support was needed after Rin's delicate shoulders could no longer cope with the weight on their own.

Consequently, the trio would have strike any passerby's attention with their ridiculous manner of trudging across the city. At best, they could pass as a group of friends after a wild party night. It also didn't help in the least that Shirou was half naked.

His bloodstained shirt was still left tied to Shinji's neck, for Archer and Rin already had a fair share of trouble in being discrete and the sight of a bloodied garment was sure to perk any jump officer's attention. Not being so thrilled about taking a detour to the police station, they decided not retrieve the item.

Still, it was no cause for concern. While it could have been leading evidence in case of an investigation, their combat site would soon be scraped clean the supervisor before any officer and press would even have the chance to get close.

"Can you stand, Emiya-kun? We are home." Interpreting his silence as an acknowledgement, Rin removed her shoulder from his side.

However, the loss of an extra support was more than Shirou's wobbling legs could bear and caused his whole body slid to the ground on the front porch. Apparently, Archer wasn't too keen on lending Shirou his support now that his Master was no longer burdened by it.

"If you are not well enough to stand, why didn't you say something?" Rin reproached and bent down to get him back on his feet. However, she immediately froze once she was low enough to form an eye contact with him.

"Uhh, uhh. Sorry." Same as his eyes, Shirou's reply was lacking in any sign of life or emotion as if his brain was frozen in a trance-like state. As it appeared, his own body was aware of the threat that his mind was facing and decided to unanimously lend its support.

The instinctive defense mechanism prevented Shirou's train of thought from wandering to and raking in any more guilt from the past event. Otherwise, he would simply break down in that very moment. The simplest solution for that would be to have him unable to think of anything at all.

"It seems that you've finally come to learn the strain of treading down this path of heroism in the real world. As I have warned you before, it is apparent that you are ill-suited for such a responsibility, but I suppose some people never listen to others," Archer remarked complacently, contented with this current development that proved to support to his earlier claim.

"Archer, ifyou don't have anything that might help, please remain silent." Rin hushed her Servant before his uncaring comment would actually worsen the situation, although she couldn't refute the truth in his words.

"If you insist, although, at the rate he's going, it wouldn't be long before this ordeal leeched him to skin and bone." Finishing what he had to say, Archer decided that he'd had enough of the current drama and silently faded away.

"Listen here, what happened to Matou-kun isn't your fault. You did it to help me and it's not your fault that he happened to fall on his own knife." Ignoring Archer's last comment, Rin tried to talk some sense into Shirou, albeit futilely.

Shirou's lack to reaction toward her consoling words disheartened Rin from any further attempt to console him. Sighing in abject resignation, she decided to simply carry Shirou back to his room and be done for the night.

"Rin, I see that you've found Shirou." Saber's worried voice followed them from the front door, where she could be found recently returned from her fruitless hunt for Shirou. A trail of relief was clearly visible on her face.

"Oh, great timing, here." Rin quickly came to a decision and handed Shirou in his nearly zombified state over to Saber, who she deemed as having better luck in snapping him back to reality. "You should return him to his room. Emiya-kun is in a pretty dire state right now."

With a clearly bewildered look, Saber quickly accepted Shirou's weight upon her shoulder. All the while, she scanned his topless form from head to toes. While she did find bloodstains and a few traces of injury, none of them was severe enough justify the use of the term dire state. "What happened? Is Shirou injured?"

"The injury is not exactly physical. It's more of..." After pausing for a moment, Rin decided to come up with better approach. "Well, the matter is somewhat complicated, so why don't you take Emiya-kun to his room first? It'll be easier for us to discuss this matter in the dining room. I'll see you there."

"Understood." Withholding her curiosity for the moment, Saber proceeded to aid her disabled Master, although, now that relief had turned her worry into annoyance, there was another action that took priority in her to-do list. "However, I need a few moments as I have a few topics to discuss with Shirou."

"Don't rush then. Take as long as you need." As Rin started to head toward the dining room, her feet were stilled by a sudden thought that crossed her mind. "Oh, Saber, you should hold back a little, if you are going to a scold him. This time it was mainly the other Master's fault that he was dragged into this incident."

"I see. Then I should have the whole picture before chastising his actions. Your clarification on this matter would be appreciated." Accepting Rin's rationale, Saber's temper was gradually quelled in the belief that incident was caused by factors other than Shirou's stupidity.

"Just a little return payment for saving me." Just as she brushed past the pair, Rin took a momentary pause to whisper into Shirou's ear. Although the shock on his brain was too severe to comprehend her words, Rin wouldn't rather have the feeling of indebtedness remain in her mind for long. "Well, I'll go ahead pour you some tea."

As Rin trotted off, Saber shifted her gaze to Shirou, who could not even give her a glance in acknowledgment. With only an empty stare at the blank space in front, Shirou appeared to be cut off from all surrounding stimuli as if his mind had retreated into a deepest corner of his mental realm.

While it bore a striking similarity, the current situation was unlike the time when she dragged Shirou's broken body through the front door, after he had received the sheer brunt of Berserker's strength. Even if he'd been coughing out blood, the Shirou of few nights ago seemed to display more sign of life than the current Shirou, who seemed to be a little more than a soulless shell.

Wondering what could have so strongly affected his mentality, Saber pondered some of the plausible scenarios. Her best guess was an affliction from an enemy's magic. While she'd heard of magics that directly affected the target's mentality, she was unfamiliar with them, for people's emotions were a delicate target to tamper with even for skilled magi, much less a warrior.

"Urghh."

Shirou's painful groan returned Saber to her senses. For the moment, she decided to suppress her curiosity and focus on returning Shirou to his room for recuperation. No matter what it was, Rin would give a summary of the whole event that had transpired without her knowledge and possible a cause of Shirou's ailment. With restless gait, Saber offered him her shoulder.

Although Shirou's weight was twice her own, the burden on her deceptively frail body seemed insignificant in comparison to the ongoing conflict in her mind.

It started out as a stray thought, seemingly harmless as it slipped in and out of her mind for a fleeting moment, but its message could not be dismissed with the same ease.

It was a manifesto, expressing her doubt to serve as Shirou's blade.

The basis for this idea was only logical, with how Shirou disregarded her words of caution and kept plunging himself into danger, but it was one that she would never admit, lest the foundation of knightly code that she'd nurtured throughout her life would simply be torn down.

She was ashamed for having its existence recognized even for an instant. Neither loyalty nor honor could last when a knight regretted the vow that they'd taken to serve and protect their liege lord.

Determining to bring the issue to an end before it could escalate any further, Saber reinforced her resolve above all accusations and skepticisms. As troublesome as he was, she could never give up on him, even if she would perish by his side.

After all, that was what it means to be a knight.

**Emiya Residence, Shirou(+Saber)'s Room **

Emptiness.

It was the first emotion that he'd ever felt as he woke up under the hospital's white blanket, after the memory of his first seven years scorched by the inferno. Although the feeling was soon to be trumped by the elation of being saved by Kiritsugu's hands, its dry repulsive taste left a scar in his mind.

As waves after waves of failure and self blame washed away any possibility of living up to his ideal, the emotion, once again, roused up to haunt him. The shock that his mind suffered was so severe that Shirou's mentality seemed to have reverted to that of the seven-years-old, who had lost the entirely of his previous life in the inferno.

"We have arrived." He could hear Saber's voice, but he paid it no heed. His mind had turned into a total recluse from the outside world.

Even the open and close of the sliding door and the softness of the pillow eluded his attention for his senses still remained at the scene of his crime. As if to torment him, it periodically strayed into the plane of his memory, jolting his conscience with the weight of the sin that he'd committed.

The vicious cycle would have continued through the whole night, if not for the warmth that was spreading through his torso. The sensation sharply contradicted the cold despair of imagination and allowed him to momentarily break free. Curious, Shirou weakly parted his eyelids.

As his wavy vision found its focused, he found by Saber, who had returned with a spare T-shirt and a bowl of lukewarm water. Her hand guided a towel along his skin, washing off any remaining tell-tale proof of the murder that he committed.

"Saber, what are..."

"I must tend to your wound before they are infected," Saber replied matter-of-factly but not without a trace of concern. "Please do not worry. I already observed the process while Rin was tending you a few days ago."

The coldness of his skin seemed to drain the life out of her fingertips that grazed along its surface, but Saber persevered. She could not bear to leave him in such a state of utter helplessness.

With only moonlight as her guide, Saber continued to wipe the blood stain off his body. She'd earlier decided against switching on the overhead lighting, a luxury unavailable in her era. Although the process could have been eased by the greater visibility that it offers, Saber would rather maintain the bedroom environment in which Shirou could rest peacefully.

As a result, the darkness added a dose of awkwardness to her already clumsy movements, but it was to be expected. After all, she never had the chance to actually care for another on such a personal scale. The closest that she'd ever did was to dump her injured comrades on the makeshift bed and waited for the field doctor to patch them up.

Her devotion, nonetheless, revealed a gentleness that a mother would show when tending her child. Seeing only small traces of injury hiding under the dried cake of blood, Saber was relieved that she wouldn't need to use the first-aid box that was brought for assurance and pushed it to the side.

Next, came a somewhat more difficult task.

Clothing someone else was by all means a hassle, especially when the other person was uncooperatively lying on his back. After some fruitless attempts, Saber decided that a little help from him would make it much easier.

"Shirou, can you get up? It would not do you well to sleep in such inappropriate attire. The night would only become colder."

With the warmth offering some refuge from his mental turmoil, Shirou could hear her request and obediently lifted his upper body into a seating position to save some of the effort on her side.

Seeing that she'd finish her task, Saber smiled lightly in satisfaction of her handiwork and retreated from the side of their bed.

Her good intentions, however, seemed to backfire as Shirou's gaze trailed longingly after her form. Amidst this night of madness, she alone appeared corporeal to his numb senses. While indulging in her warmth, Shirou had found the anchor that secured his mind to the plane of reality.

"I must bid you leave for a moment. I will be back soon." Saber decided that her lecture could wait until Shirou's condition improves and decided to head for the living room.

Unwilling to be left alone with his guilt, Shirou's right hand shot up before she could get on her feet. The movement caught Saber off guard as her wrist became trapped in Shirou's grip.

"Shirou, can you please unhand me?" With a clearly troubled expression, Saber could only try to make him heed her request. While it was easy to reclaim her limb by force, she was unwilling to do so in fear of adding any more pain to his vulnerable mental state.

As their handa remained connected, Saber's warmth continued to seep through the whole length of his arm. Yearning for more, Shirou slowly closed the distance between them. The close proximity of their bodies allowed her warmth to seep directly into his skin.

"Shirou, this position...it's really troubling for me..." Blushing wildly, Saber weakly objected. Her frail arms pushed lightly against his form.

"Don't go." His eyes wide in desperation. Shirou pleaded into her ear. While he did feel the guilt from taking advantage of her kindness, the loss of his only emotional support would be too much for frail mental state. "Please, don't go."

Shirou's body gradually lost its tension once he realized that she wouldn't shirk back or push him away. Perhaps she knew by instinct of the dire consequences that would follow if she would reject his final plea for help. As such, she couldn't be so heartless as to ignore it.

"Please rest assured. I'll be here as long as you need me." Relinquishing her initial resistance, Saber moved her hand to rub the back of Shirou's head, imitating what she'd seen from the young mothers in her time.

While the gesture was ill-suited to be performed on an adult male, Shirou was intoxicated by it. The warmth of her flesh, the tickling of her breath, the rhythmic beating of her heart, and the soft touch of her hands that cradled his weakened self induced him into a state of drunken stupor.

"You should rest, Shirou. I do not know what you did, but it would be better that you focus on recovery for the night. We'll deal with it tomorrow." Feeling more sympathy for him than any normal Servant would for their Master, Saber whispered words of comfort into his ears.

While Shirou's wretched state of body and mind could have disgust others, it aroused another emotion entirely in Saber's heart. Guilt, obviously, because she was responsible for not noticing that he had slipped away from the safety of their residence, but more strongly than that was compassion.

It certainly was harsh to see a man blazing with determination in an afternoon only to succumb to despair in that same night. Witnessing the shift firsthand, Saber decided that alleviating his pain was a priority in this situation, even if it meant that she would have to stay with him for the whole night and endure an earful of Rin's temper in the morning.

"Sleep, Shirou. You don't have to worry about anything." Saber gently received his fall as Shirou's seating form collapsed on the futon. Seeing that his hands refused to let go, Saber also lied down by his side.

The touch of her skin gently dispersed the gathering clouds of guilt and urged sleep to take over his weary mind. Without even the strength to respond or whisper a word of thanks, Shirou succumbed to his fatigue. Soon, he was out like a light.

**Emiya Residence, Kitchen (6.08 AM) **

The lone figure of Emiya Shirou slaved under the dim kitchen light to prepare the breakfast. Although most of the others were keen on letting him rest, Shirou was unwilling to do so. At the moment, his only effective remedy for the nerve-wracking guilt was to preoccupy himself with other tasks to the extent that there would be no time to dwell on the matter.

After waking up from a night of shallow sleep with Saber in his arms, the sense of failure to carry on his father's legacy was no longer as severe as the last night, when it had disabled him from performing even the most basic actions.

The guilt that used to stab his side like a knife was reduced to a prickling thorn, but it was still there nonetheless, replacing his usual energetic movement in the kitchen with sluggish crawl.

With his attention totally absorbed by the task at hand, Shirou failed to perceive the sliding of the paper door as a person entered the room and tried to strike up a conversation. It was only after the visitor was running at the end of his patience that Shirou heard the call and perked up his head.

"Just as I started wondering when would you hear me. Is the breakfast ready?"

"Soon, wait outside," Shirou snapped in reply once he realized that the one who'd intruded upon his reverie was none other than last person that he wanted to meet.

In the other days, such complication was unlikely to happen with Saber standing watch and shooing away unwanted visitors. However, his guardian was nowhere to be found after an annoyed Rin in her façade of being jolly, had dragged Saber away for a private conversation.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Samael disregarded Shirou's demand and remained rooted at the same spot, observing his movement with a steely glance.

Irked to the extreme by Samael's presence, Shirou tried to squeeze out the intention of this visit so that he could be left to cooking in peace once more.

"Do you have something else to say?"

"I heard that you scored your first kill and from the perpetrator behind the force field, no less. I never thought that you would actually have the kind of resolve to make solid of your goal. I must apologize for earlier deeming you a coward."

"It was an accident," Shirou retorted with a rough edge to his voice. Some of the stew spilled out as he inserted the ladle through layers of ingredients and forcibly stirred to vent out his anger. "Hmph, who am I trying to fool? After all that talk about saving everyone, he still died by my hands."

"Your regret is ill-founded. By taking that one life, you kept safe hundreds more. In all respects, that was quite a significant feat to accomplish."

"As if that was enough!" Shirou countered. "I could've saved them all... I-I had the chance to!"

"I cannot comprehend why you would choose to pin the blame on yourself. That choice was never yours to make or, to be more precise, its probability of success was too low to even bring it into consideration."

"Don't you dare say anymore!" A clunking noise emphasized his statement as Shirou, in the peak of his discontent, thrust the ladle against the bottom of the pot. His teeth were tightly clenched as he retorted. "You are wrong. As long as I can bear the burden, everyone can be saved."

"It may be so in your mind, but such a scenario is nigh impossible to happen in the real world. Here, there are costs associated with everything that you wish to accomplish. In this sense, his death lessened the cost on your shoulder and allowed the majority to be kept safe. It may not be to your liking, but it was the most realistic option." Sighing at the seemingly futility to make Shirou see the light of his action, Samael, for once, took a sympathetic stance.

"Don't act so condescending when you can't even understand what I feel! Someone like you couldn't possibly imagine how bad it hurts in killing someone."

"...Ashes to ashes, dusts to dusts." With an episode of reminiscence brought forth by Shirou's words, Samael's recited. His familiarity was displayed with how it seemed to automatically rolled out of his tongue.

"Now you are using riddles? Why don't you say what you want upfront?"

"...From dust we came from and to dust we shall return. When I was once in your position, that teaching alone was what protected my sanity from crumbling. What you, what I, or what any of us did was simply hastening of the inevitable. Death simply returns man to his original form. Therefore, as long as it was for a good cause, there is no need to beat yourself up too badly over the act of killing."

"So says a man who treats others' lives like garbage. You don't have the right to sympathize with me for placing equal value on all lives."

"Is that so?" Seeing that was Shirou too defiant to accept his good will, a trace of disdain seemed to have crept in and erased Samael's earlier sympathy. "Are you saying that we so different then?"

"Of course we are different. I have done all that I can to save everyone and will continue to do so. You just throw people's lives away just for your God-knows-what mission."

"I see. It would appear that you are truly incapable of opening your eyes to the truth." Momentarily losing his steely exterior, Samael stepped closer to Shirou with every word. It was as if Shirou's words were flint to strike his flames of anger. "Are insisting that your blind attempt to save everyone is a better approach?"

"Isn't it normal for anyone to do so? Isn't it just better to strive toward a future in which everyone can live together with a smile?"

"I will not argue with that. However, there is a point where you would need to distinguish between the best outcome that was impossible to attain and a more modest one that could be reached with some effort. Apparently, you were unable to judge how much burden you can carry without falling short and crashing down in between. This notion was what tormenting you yet you are blind to it."

"That was just a blunder. Just you wait, the next time I will succeed." Staring back at Samael in defiance, Saber's eyes blazed with determination.

"Next time, too, you will fail, as long as you don't stop suckling on your mommy's teats." Samael countered without any regard for Shirou's determination. "While you are grown man, your mentality seemed to be unable to grow out of toddlerhood. You were lucky that that the cost fall upon the perpetrator in this occasion not the other way around. A tragedy would have ensued, if the perpetrator lived."

"What's with the tragedy? Weren't you the one who refused to help us in the first place?" Shirou spat, disgusted by Samael's hypocrisy.

"There is no dispute to your claim, but do spare some thought on the fact that the threat of Dracula could, with sufficient time and subterfuge, turn all the inhabitants of this city into his slobbering minions. Between the two, the magnitude of damage that the force field carried seems pale in comparison. Therefore, since I'm capable of realizing when the weight on my shoulders becomes too heavy to bear and cut back my losses, it was logical that I devote my effort to solve the one was potentially more damaging."

"What you've said was just-" Shirou's protest was cut short as Samael raised a hand to ask Shirou to wait until he finished.

"However, in your case, the choice only consisted of the student body and the perpetrator. Your shoulders only have the strength for one, yet you've forced yourself to carry both. This unnecessary risk to all parties is not in anyway acceptable. They should already have taught you to count in elementary school. If you only know which worth more between one and one hundred, a better choice in this scenario should already be obvious."

"Humans are not numbers! No matter what you say, I will not start treating other people like that!"

"And why not? Beyond the realm of petty emotion and attachment that is what we all are."

"Is that really how you view human life? I've had my suspicion but now I'm sure that you are a heartless bastard."

"If that is meant to be an insult, don't waste your breath. For me, being without emotion is a blessing not an insult for it allows me to make sacrifices without leaving a bad taste in my mouth."

"You keep on saying about making sacrifice this and letting go that. Who was it that gives you the right to play God and decide other people's fate? The real world is not that simple! How would you determine what you've decided is the right choice?"

The ferocity of Shirou's argument caught Samael by surprise, expecting the man to back down like many others. He chuckled silently, but otherwise remained silence at the behest of his logical brain, which wracking itself for a supportive argument. Alas, he could not find any.

"I have no excuse... I profess that I had to make many poor choices in the past, most of which bore an outcome that didn't even live up to halfmy expectation. However, I believe my drive for practical outcomes would still lift me above someone who blindly strives for an illusion without a single glance back at the reality."

"What was that?"

The scream of the boiling over soup pot snapped both men from their argument to focus on the task at hand. With a silent curse, Shirou rushed to turn off the stove.

"At any rate, we seem to be holding this dismal conversation for long enough. Here, let me help." Before he received any response from Shirou, Samael made his way into the kitchen to see whether there was any simple work for his unskilled hands to do. "I take it that this soup is ready to be served."

"Yeah, just take it to the table." Brushing his arm along the wooden shelf, Shirou squinted his eyes to locate the small bottle of salad dressing, dwarved by the neighboring mirin and soy sauce. While vegetable dishes rarely made their way to his table, the induction of the girls and the vegetarian Abel into their household finally pressured him into serving more healthy dishes. "Oh right, if you can't find the mittens, they're under the cupboard."

"Mitten?" Mindlessly repeating Shirou's word, Samael's unfamiliarity with kitchen's tool rendered him unable to interpret its implication.

"Woah! What are doing? Put it down!" Crying out in panic, Shirou tried to make the baffled Samael release his grip on the deceptively harmless aluminum pot.

Still remaining clueless but alarmed by the urgency in Shirou's voice, Samael quickly situated the pot back at its rightful place.

"Didn't you feel anything? It was being heated the stove when you picked it up."

Samael rotated his wrist to take a better look at the injury that he seemed oblivious to. As one should've anticipated from prolonged contact with a heated metal surface, red blisters were seared into his palm with surrounding white of flaky and peeled off skin. "You're right. It was scalding hot."

"Are your hands alright? Well, there's probably not even a need to ask. Geez, didn't you feel anything?"

"My apology for startling you, it appears my thoughs were elsewhere during the moment."

"What kind of absentmindedness was that? Anyway, I'll go get a first-aid box, so just wait here. You can't tie a bandage with hands like that, can you?"

"Thank you. It would appear that your helpfulness is genuine." Bowing his head in appreciation, Samael stuffed his hands inside his trouser pockets. "However, I would have to turn down your good will. The injury will heal soon enough and I'm impervious to pain."

"Why don't you think of a better lie next time?" Shirou scratched his head in embarrassment at the compliment, although he couldn't help but notice Samael's uncharacteristically shallow lie. "What type of being couldn't feel pain, anyway?"

Seeing that tension between them had melted away somewhat, Samael dramatically rubbed his chin as if he was deep in thought and gave a lighthearted reply.

"Well, there are zombies for one."

**Emiya Residence, Front Porch (8.18 AM) **

Saber paced back and forth before the tool shed, both to keep watch and to release her pent-up distress regarding Shirou's state of mind. Her worried mind had slowed the time to a crawl as she dutifully watched over him. It wasn't like her usual self, Saber knew, but, when it came to Shirou, she couldn't help but succumb to a rather ambiguous sense of intimacy.

Aside from the knightly obligation that required her to protect him, Saber gradually have grown to regard him as she would troublesome little brother. Hence the reason why she took more than a few extra steps in caring for his well-being. It was the responsibility of the older one to put up with the younger's charade and guide them to the right path.

The more time she spent observing Shirou, the more she became convinced that they shared an uncanny resemblance. Perhaps it was the idealistic drive to protect that they seemed to share.

For that reason alone, she was determined to have another talk with him after hearing of his plight. As someone who had already seen the dead end of their chosen path, it was her responsibility to stop him from treading down the same road. If necessary, she would spare all that she could of the little time she had in this world to stop him from making the same mistake.

Still, even with all her worries running rampant, Saber found herself unable to barge in and initiate discussion in that very moment. Unlike the impulsive little twerp he had been, the Shirou of this moment appeared serene to the level she previously thought that he could never achieve.

With a small sigh, Saber decided to put the matter on hold for the moment and resume her guard duty. There would be much more opportunity to bring up the topic, considering that she had to follow him around for the whole day.

A sense of worry soared as her thought strayed to the topic concerning Shirou. Feeling more apprehension that she could ignore, Saber carefully approached the door to the shed and twisted the knob. The wooden board swung open soundlessly for she took extra care to make as little sound as possible.

After sneaking so many occasionall peeks that even she herself had lost count, her eyes wasted to no time in searching for Shirou amidst the darkness. The pair was immmediately locked to the center of the room where Shirou placid form could be found, detached from outside world.

His mere presence reassured Saber that her Master hadn't slipped away under her watchful gaze like the last night. After she became confident that her eyes weren't playing any tricks, Saber withdrew from the room.

Contemplating whether she had truly became paranoiac when it came to Shirou, Saber had failed to notice that the hem of her skirt was caught in between the door. After a lifetime of wearing armors and running around in trousers, she was entirely unfamiliar with some of the necessary precautions concerning this foreign article of clothing.

She cursed silently as the tug on the fabric took away her balance. While she managed to balance herself before a disgraceful fall to the ground, the rattling as the door was pull back into its frame was sure to give away her presence.

Wondering whether Shirou was disturbed by the current development, Saber pushed the door slightly to reveal a small crevice and pee inside. Much to her relief, he still remained in the same position, still as a statue and seemingly oblivious. Satisfied, she retreated from the room, this time awkwardly pulling to prevent it from being caught in the same wooden jaws.

"Thank you, Saber..." A voice squeezed itself through just before the opening was closed. "...for worrying about me. Thank you."

Although being nearly inaudible, Shirou's voice managed to slip through the small opening between the chipped wooden doors and enter her ears.

A sense of embarrassment flared as he had caught her intruding upon his moment of contemplation. A tiny smile graced her lips from the contentment that her concern didn't go unnoticed. Getting caught between both emotions, Saber silently whispered in return.

"It's my pleasure, Shirou."

Almost unnoticeably so, her heart skipped a beat upon hearing his voice. Although she was unused to being thanked in such an intimate manner, Saber savored the sensation in full. With newly restored motivation, she resumed her duty.

**Emiya Residence, Shirou(+Saber)'s Room (23.27 PM) **

Ceiling, crisscrossing pattern of black and gray, tirelessly stared back into his face for the last sleepless hour.

The prolonged contact with the futon made his back uncomfortably moist with sweat. Still, the knowledge that another, especially a girl, would be staring at his sleeping form made Shirou unable to change his sleeping posture.

While the other less conventional and potentially embarrassing postures may be better suited for a comfortable sleep, Shirou decided to opt for the most neutral of laying on one's back.

Taking his mind off the present discomfort, Shirou mulled over the thought and conviction that came over him from the morning till sun down of silent reverie.

There was no longer any mention of the last night's event in his mind, or, rather, it was treated as a figment of an unreal imagination, a bad dream.

However, a person's mind wasn't an easy target to conscious manipulation. With the ever vigilant conscience sought to force him out of hiding into the garish reality, but that was rather easy to handle with the numerous mental crevices he can take refuge in.

Shirou let out a satisfied sigh, contented with the temporary mental comfort in contrast to his aching body.

Without any meal or toilet breaks in between, sleeping on the futon was the first break he'd had in the whole day. Yet, he wondered, why hadn't he already collapsed from exhaustion?

There was a simple answer to the question.

He dared not empty his mind to lure in the approaching sleep in fear that his conscience would slip in and convince him once more to the reality of his action.

While an occupied mind wasn't an easy target to be infiltrated, an empty mind, on the contrary, was nearly defenseless and Shirou was by no means willing to be overwhelmed by the wave of guilt ever again.

Deciding that sleep could be saved for later, Shirou made up his mind to complete one more lingering issue.

"Saber...Are you awake?" Shirou asked after he snuck a discrete glance at her unmoving form. Although she said it herself that she was constantly on guard during the night, he would rather not disturb her in case some benevolent intervention had sufficiently soothed her paranoia to let her take a better care of herself.

"I am. Is there something that you wish?" Saber immediately responded to his call. Their legs accidentally brushed against one another as she shuffled on her side of the bed to face him. He blushed at the sensation.

The limited size of their futon made it nearly impossible to house two people and leave them at a comfortable distance. While Shirou was initially troubled by it, as of the moment, this feature had turn into a blessing for him. Her presence alone seemed to have formed a thin layer of protection between him and the guilt that sought to wrack his mind.

"Well, I have something I need to tell you." The importance of the topic that he would soon bring up compelled him to his knees. After all, lying on one's back is a rather poor posture for the speaker to be taken seriously. "Sorry for disturbing your rest, so I'll try to make it brief then."

"It is fine. As I have said before, I was keeping watch not resting." Somewhat annoyed by Shirou's inability to make any distinction between the two, Saber, nonetheless, followed his suit and proceeded to sit in a traditional Japanese style at the edge of their bed.

"Alright, so I want to thank you for the last night. I mean I was acting really childish...so, yeah, thank you for putting up with me."

"While you displayed no self control yesterday, I can empathize with your situation. I will not judge you because of it."

"I see, thank you. Also, I'm sorry for what I did." Now that he had received her kindness during his vulnerable moment, Shirou was truly shameful of his action.

Even if their opinions didn't coincide, it was inexcusable to take advantage of her trust and venture off alone into danger. The least that he could've done was to make some effort in sorting out their differences. Feeling the guilt from the bottom of his heart, Shirou lowered his head to ask for forgiveness.

"Shirou! What are you doing?" Completely unsuspecting that he would act in that manner, Saber was startled. Her face twitched into an uncomfortable scowl.

"I was a huge idiot for not trusting you, but I promise that I'll do better in the future. Next time, I'll try to consider your feelings before running off like that... Please forgive me."

"I see. In that case, this time I could turn a blind eye now that you are sorry for your actions." Saber's mind was thrown off balance. There was no longer any regal air in her voice, only agitation. "Therefore, Shirou... Please raise your head. It is unfitting to bow down to someone under your command."

"Thank you... That really means a lot to me." Shirou paused and took a deep breath. "From now on, I'll tell you directly if there's anything I want you to change, so that we can work it out without hiding things from one another...Of course, I would be really happy if you could also do the same."

"That is rather...troubling. Since I've pledged myself to your service, I'm not in any position to be criticizing you."

"You need to get over that attitude, Saber. You don't have to put up with everything I do just because you're my Servant. I mean I really did a lot of things that upset you, so why don't you consider it?"

"Very well, I'll see what I can do."

"Great, so firstly I want you to stop treating me like your Master. Basically, no more of I'm your sword bullshit. You are my friend and I will not settle for anything less."

"That I cannot. You are my Master, no more no less." In contrast to his expectation, Saber was fast in shooting down his terms. "I refuse to be treated more intimately, as long as you are using this as an excuse to put yourself in danger."

"Urghh, you're persistent." Shirou cluck his tongue in annoyance, seeing that Saber had caught up to his game.

"So are you, Shirou."

"Look, how about this, if treating me like a friend is too much... Well, I mean I may be worthy of it but why don't you start by thinking of me as a comrade? Then there'll be no problem treating me as your equal."

"...Is there nothing that I can say to change your mind?" Saber let up with a sigh, seeing Shirou's determination.

"Nope, nothing at all."

"Then I have no choice but to concede..."

_Yes!_ Shirou mentally raised his fist in a gesture of victory, oblivious to the fact that he only had a moment to savor this sweet triumph.

"However, on one condition that I also need you to comply with."

"Well, that's alright. What would you want me to do then?"

"If I am to treat you as an equal, I need your word that you will start to prioritize your safety. By that, I mean you must not engage any Servant in a direct combat even if I'm injured or dying."

"That's too much to ask. You can't expect me to stand around and do nothing when you're going to die!"

"Shirou, I've already promised that I will keep my end of the bargain. It is your duty is to uphold yours."

"Urgh, that's not fair. Your condition is far harsher than mine."

"They are of equal severity and my condition is also for your own good. Quite frankly, you are too powerless to make any difference in the battlefield."

"Ouch, that's harsh...But I have no comeback."

"I'm confident to say that you would only get us both killed if you try to save me from other Servants."

"Fine! In that case, there is only one thing for me to do," Shirou responded with a great enthusiasm that seemed to appear out of nowhere. "Saber!"

"Yes?" Once again startled by his uncharacteristic action, Saber straightened up and added a dosage of stiffness to her voice.

"Please teach me how to fight!"

"...I must have heard that wrong. Can you please repeat what you just said?"

"I said please teach me how to fight with a sword. I know that I'm weak and couldn't protect anything, but I want change that at least. I want to be strong enough to protect the others."

"Shirou... Are you serious about this?" Saber reluctantly acknowledged his wish. This time there was no mistake about his intention.

"I am very serious." A gaze into Shirou's eyes only revealed determination. "I'm sick of being powerless and I need your help to be stronger."

Saber couldn't give him an immediate answer. There were certainly more cons than pros in agreeing to teach him. A few weeks or months, at best, of training wouldn't be much use against real Servants and the sense of false confidence that it bestowed would only make him more reckless, but it wasn't in her nature to shun those who sought to better themselves.

"Very well, we can start tomorrow if you wish so."

"Yes! Thank you, Saber. Thank you!"

Although she wouldn't count on it, Saber tried to use the current situation to her advantage. The lesson might provide an opportunity for Shirou to realize the gap that lay between a wannabe hero and a Heroic Spirit, possibly making him realize futility of his attempt.

"At any rate, you should rest. It would do well for you to conserve as much strength as possible for tomorrow's lesson. You may not be able to survive otherwise."

"It would be nice if you can go easy on me."

"I'm afraid that would be difficult if you want to learn swordplay to protect yourself with, but please rest assured. The damage that I inflict will not be permanent."

"Uhh, I still think there are a lot of bad injuries that can happen impermanently." Silence fell after Shirou gave his light-hearted complaint.

There was a hesitant look on Saber's face as if she was contemplating whether or not to voice out her thought.

Curious about what she had to say, Shirou urged her on with a small nod.

"Shirou..."

"Yes?"

"I'm glad to see to see that you have recovered."

"Oh right...Well, thanks and I have to thank you for the last night as well. I mean you did stay with me for the whole night and all, so yeah…"

"I see. That is all that I want to say. Sleep well." Saber made an awkward face as her mind trailed to the moment of intimacy that they's shared. The atmosphere between them was too much for her austere mind to handle. Consequently, she put an abrupt end to their conversation and turned to her side of the bed.

"Y-Yeah, you too." Feeling a rush of embarrassment, Shirou flustered in response and, similarly, retreated to his side.

His heart thumped wildly at the sight of her insecure face. The smell of steel and meadow that drifted from her skin and the rare femininity in her voice aroused a sensation beyond the realm of his experience.

The memories from the last night flooded out from his mental storage. Imprinted deeply was the sensation of her soft body pressed against his.

He yearned for more, the warmth that was sleeping defenselessly in his arm's reach. Finding a new ally, this feeling rose to challenge his reason.

It was a difficult fight, but, in the end, he managed to seize control of his body and securely fastened it to the bedrock of logical rationale. His emotion, however, refused to be chained down in the same fashion.

The feeling remained in there like an overflowing well of dark water, spouting his innermost desire that was too shameful to be uttered in any single word. Yet its bittersweet taste intoxicated his mind, releasing him from the relentless grip of reason.

Unwittingly, he turned to her. With only the feeling as his guide, his right hand moved on its own accord, snaking to a stop on her shoulder and proceeding no more.

The gesture may have seemed insufficient, but he was satisfied. Just a handful of connectedness filled him with a sublime sense of peace. The raging of desire had ceased, quelled by the contact.

Shirou thought dwelled this drastic change for it was not like anything he'd experienced.

The feeling may have reduced him to howl on the ground like wild beast, ripped out his own longing heart, and be consumed by the flame unfulfilled desire, but the taste of its nectar was a prize well-worth of all the madness it induced.

Although he had yet to know what it was, he certainly, with all his heart, did not hate this feeling.

"…Shirou, do you have any other wishes…" Saber carefully turned toward him with a question, although her voice lost its volume after she saw only an unfocused stare beyond his half drooping eyelids.

Being courteous enough to let him rest, she met the intruding palm with her own, tying their fingers into a crossing pattern. Her lips blossomed into a sisterly smile as she observed sleep finally overtaking his weary face.

* * *

Once again, review please people. Those reviews feed my creativity, so I'm sure it will make me deliver a better chapter next time.


	15. The Looming Disaster

**Author's Note**

Firstly, I have to apologize for taking such a long break but there were a lot of problems going on in my real life (as you could probably have guess from my nationality). Now that things are back to normal, I will resume writing once again.

Anyway, hope you enjoy the chapter and do keep in mind that this chapter an rather disturbing scene with Rider. Consider yourself warned.

* * *

**Chapter 15**

**Matou Household (17.58 PM)**

"Can you explain to me why we are doing this again?" Tapping his right foot in annoyance, Shirou hesitated before the dulled brass doorbell of Matou's household. His finger traced the roughness of its slightly rusted surface, not quite ready to push it down yet.

"Only if it would stop you from fidgeting. Honestly, we've gone over this quite a few times already." Rin gave a defeated sigh as she waited for him to ring the doorbell.

"I mean, Rider might've escaped, but I still can't believe you would suspect Sakura of all people. Shinji could have been the real Master."

"We also went over this. A genuine command spell had to be borne on the user's flesh. Matou-kun had his on a tome. That was enough ground for suspicion. Besides, if the real Master is still alive, there is still a possibility of the force field activating. Have you forgotten that Rider managed to escape?" Rin lowered her voice as the explanation trailed to the subject of the Grail War, but the irritation in her voice didn't make it easy.

"No, I understand that much, but it doesn't mean Sakura has to be one behind all this. She never told me that she was a mage."

"But you didn't tell her either did you, Emiya-kun? It was only normal that she would keep this a secret from you."

"…True."

"Besides, I know for a fact that she is a powerful mage, enough to make her one of the potential participants."

"Still, why her? I mean Shinji was dying to use magic. He could have accepted his command spell from anyone. "

"That might be true, but how about you stop trying to make excuses and let us see what she has to say?"

"Fine," Shirou grumbled. "Just don't be so quick to take action against her, alright? Keep your judgment until we're finished talking with her."

"Stop being jumpy. Of course I wouldn't be taking any action without evidence."

"…Alright then."

Shirou stretched his limbs to disperse the stiffness that plagued his body, a by-product of the morning regimen with Saber. The session proved that the she-devil was true to her word. While she was cautious enough not to inflict any permanent injury, Shirou received his fair share of beating before she deemed him battered enough to be allowed on other errands.

Nevertheless, he would very much rather remain in the dojo rather than be standing before the Matou House, which, despite producing no strain on his body, was nothing short of taxing on his mind. The unease made his eyes dart left and right, being unsure of the strategy that they'd chosen to play by.

While no sign of abnormality could be spotted in the overgrown garden of the Matou Household, there could be no doubt that Archer was lurking within the vicinity, a move considered by Shirou to be nothing short of overreaction.

Unlike Rin, he harbored no skepticism in regard to Sakura's innocence, thus he was reluctant to go along with the idea of confirming this suspicion through the use of, as they had phrased it, subtle coercion or, in his words, interrogation.

Just masking words with pleasantries wouldn't change the intention in which they were uttered, but, being the minority faring against those in favor of further investigation, both Abel and him were left no choice but to concede.

Taking another deep breath in preparation, Shirou pushed the cursed button.

The obnoxious scream of Matou residence's doorbell disrupted the silence of the neighborhood, where visitors were few and far between.

They waited for few moments, but there was no response, save for a few neighbors that craned their necks in search of the disturbance, half in curiosity and half in annoyance.

"Well, it seems that she isn't at home, so maybe we should return la-" The last sound became stuck in Shirou's throat as Rin flashed him a deadly glare.

"Since we already are here, why don't you try again, Emiya-kun?" The smile on her lips grew with each word, but so did the murderous urge in her eyes.

"Y-Yes! Right away!" For the second time, Shirou tested his luck against the doorbell. It took only a few seconds before he received a dreaded response.

"Please wait a second! I'll be there in a moment."

Shirou's heart sank. Her reply dashed his earlier hope that she might have been held up by some business at the school.

Soon, after a click and a twist of the doorknob, the fragile figure of Sakura emerged in the doorway. Her face was lined by an uncharacteristic trace of fatigue and worry. Although appearing even meeker than usual, the presence of the two before her earned enough curiosity to make her voice it aloud."

"Senpai? And Tohsaka-senpai, too? Is there something that you want?"

"Uhh…urr." Shirou's words suddenly ceased being comprehensible, for Sakura's presence filled his mind with a cloud of anxiety. It was the first time that he'd ever felt so uneasy from talking to her, whose company he used to genuinely enjoy. The wretched look she bore only served to amplify this feeling of guilt.

_My fault. It's all my fault._ The realization gradually crept into his conscience. _She wouldn't be in so much pain, if I…if I…_

Shirou couldn't finish his thought. A painful jolt stopped his mind before it started condemning himself once more to the crime of being responsible for Shinji's death.

Although Shirou had pretty much started to recover the yesterday night's ordeal, standing face to face with Sakura, whose brother he'd killed, seemed to rip off the scabs covering the injury his mind had sustained. His tender flesh beneath was then painfully exposed to the prodding of his conscience.

"Um…Senpai? Is something the matter?"

"Oh right, sorry. Well, we are here about..." Although Sakura's words snapped Shirou back to his senses, he still wasn't in a condition that can manage to say this lie. It was then that Rin decided to take over his job.

"You see, Matou-san, we are here about your brother. He hasn't shown up at school since yesterday. We've also tried to call him but he hasn't responded."

"Nii-san? He hasn't been home for two days now…"

"Hmm, that's strange. Where could he have disappeared to?"

"I'm sorry, but I can't think of anyplace. The last time I saw him he left with Emiya-Senpai"

Having his name mentioned made Shirou realize a simple fact; Sakura saw him leaving with Shinji two nights before. There was little doubt that she must be suspecting his involvement or perhaps she was already certain but simply waiting for an opportunity to bring up the topic. Either way, it was apparent that the worsening episode of self loathing was growing too much for him to ignore.

"In that case, Matou-san, were there any suspicious persons lurking around during that time?"

"I don't think I-"

"Sakura!" Before he could stop himself, Shirou blurted her name amidst Sakura and Rin's confusion. "I-I have something to confes-"

However, Shirou's would be confession was cut short by a sharp pain in his back.

"Gah!"

"I'm sorry, but I just remembered that I have something urgent to talk with Emiya-kun about. Would you mind?" Maintaining an innocent facade, Rin's finger kept on pinching his flesh with an unrelenting force. "Just wait for us inside. We'll be back in a moment."

"U-Uhh…alright."

Practically dragging Shirou along, she took him behind the cover of the brick wall that lined the perimeter of Matou Household. Peeking back to make sure that Sakura had gone inside and her probing ear was out of range, Rin turned to start chastising Shirou.

"You can't be doing something like that. It's hard enough fighting the war without getting yourself arrested."

"You don't understand! I-I can't hide it anymore. Sakura, she knows. She saw me leaving with Shinji. She knows I killed him. "

"Calm down, Emiya-kun. She might've seen you leaving with Matou-kun, but she didn't suspect you. We can make it seems as if he disappeared after you parted ways. Also, in case she turns out to be a participant, she couldn't effectively rely on the police either."

"It doesn't matter now. I can't hide it from her…She has to know this…She has to know that I...killed…I-I have to go jail…A murderer have to go to jail." Suddenly, it seemed that all life had been sucked out of Shirou as he mumbled these words. His ideal and rationale were at odds. While one part wanted him to take responsibility for his crime, the other knew that no good would come from foolishly getting himself arrested.

"Listen, you're not talking sense. You are not a murderer…You didn't kill Matou-ku, since his death was an accident. Besides, the Holy Grail War isn't exactly a normal circumstance. You must be crazy if you're going to handicap yourself by obeying the law."

"That doesn't mean that I'm not to blame…I have to take responsibility. Yeah, I have to tell her and take responsibility."

"Responsibility is it? Or perhaps it's solace that you wish for." Another voice intruded upon their conversation as Archer appeared behind them. "At her expense I might add."

"How so exactly?'

"How well do you think she'll receive the news that he was killed by his best friend or, perhaps, you're thinking she'll praise your honesty?"

Vexed, but with no retort, Shirou could only produce grumbling sounds and swallow his displeasure.

"Archer's right, Emiya-kun. I understand that you want to be honest with her, but this is not the time and place for it."

"Don't be so lenient toward him. What he'd display was not integrity, merely selfishness. No man would seek to ease his guilt with a girl's suffering, much less a hero."

"What did you jus-"

"Thank you for opinion Archer, but we shouldn't keep Matou-san waiting any longer." Rin put a stop to their conversation and pulled Shirou back in before their talk could turn into a brawl. As she brushed past his ears, she whispered, "Remember, now isn't the time to tell her."

"I know, I know!" Shirou replied irritably as they entered through the doorway, only to find Sakura standing in wait for them at the foyer.

As soon as she saw them entered she quickly wore a smile on her weary face. "I just realize that neither of you know the way to the living room."

"…Right, please lead us then." Coming to a similar realization, Shirou bashfully followed her in to the interior of the Matou Household.

Rin, on the other hand, remained indifferently detached from the whole situation.

"Just cut her some slack already. Can't you see how nice of a person she is?" Using a moment when Sakura was preoccupied with preparing the room, Shirou quickly whispered the question to Rin. The answer, however, was apparent from her frown.

"You're too naïve. She could've stood there to eavesdrop on our conversation and used that pleasantry as an excuse. Anyway, as you've said before, our judgment will have to wait after we have a chance to talk to her. I think that deal should go both ways shouldn't it?"

Being in an equally sullen mood, Shirou spared no word to reply.

The discontinuity from the pair's conversation placed a puzzled look on Sakura's face when she noticed the tension between them, although, before she had a chance to voice any question, Rin took the initiative and carried on from where they left.

"So as we were asking before Matou-san, were there any suspicious people around here recently?"

"I don't think I've seen any…" Sakura trailed off, when an idea seemed to pop up. "Actually, I did see someone."

"Really?" Shirou immediately jumped on the opportunity, being eager to clear her name of the suspicion they had. "Who is he? What does he look like? Tell me!"

"S-Senpai! Please calm down." Before the intensity of Shirou's response, Sakura could only fluster in return.

"Oh, sorry." Realizing that he was on the verge of interrogating her himself, Shirou backed off. "Yeah, sorry I rushed you. Take your time."

"I think you should know him better than I do. After all, he is staying at your house. The muscular man with foreign name, I think, I saw him when I came back from school a few days ago. He was walking around the neighborhood and mumbling something in foreign language."

"…Yeah, he is definitely suspicious, but not him. Was there anyone else?"

"No, I can't seem to think of anyone else. I'm sorry I can't be of any more help." Apparently catching on to the twinge of disappointment in Shirou's voice, Sakura's tone turned apologetic.

"No, it's alright. I wasn't really expecting an answer, anyway," Shirou said dryly. After all, it seemed unlikely that the weaver of this scheme would make the simple mistake of showing himself to any bystander.

"That's some good memory you have, Matou-san. I'm not sure if I would be able to remember everyone who walked past me so clearly."

"I-It's not like that Tohsaka-Senpai. I don't know why, but he looked so scary that I just remembered."

"I don't blame you. I mean I'm a guy, but he still creeps me out," Shirou followed up, trying to sugarcoat Rin's accusation, although with limited success as the conversation died from that point on.

With Rin not being too keen on continuing the conversation and Sakura being too nervous to do so, Shirou was also put under the spell of the silence that suddenly crept into the room. He tried to continue the conversation, but, after receiving only brief uninterested answers in return, he too ceased his effort.

With nothing better to do while waiting for the conversation to continue, Shirou's attention drifted from the awkwardness that had settled in-between them to his surroundings.

In stark contrast to the bright and airy atmosphere of the Emiya Household, the Matou Household was enclosed on all sides by thick curtains and looming walls, allowing the house to be taken over by gloom even in broad daylight. It was no comparison to the warm sunlight that basked the porch of the Emiya Household in the morning and the gentle autumn wind that cooled it in the night.

Although he intended it as no insult, walking through the entrance of Matou Household did give one a feeling of being swallowed alive. The longer he stayed, the more he became convinced that the place was by no means a hospitable dwelling place, even less so for a girl to live in all alone.

The same guilt flared within Shirou's mind, although this time its target was raised from merely causing him misery to demanding an act of responsibility. Without any time for reconsideration, his will had already given in and his lips began to move.

"Sakura…"

"Yes?"

"Maybe you can come live with us." He said it, despite being unsure of the repercussions that were soon to follow. His eyesight edged toward Rin, who still seemed to bring about no objection. Reassured from the lack of immediate threat, he continued. "You see, I mean this house might seem a bit too big for you to live in all alone and there are still available rooms in my house. It would be better to stay with all of us. What do you think?"

Her visage livened up for a moment with a hopeful glimmer, although the cloud of uncertainty soon set in. "I'm sorry, Senpai, but I can't…I mean, I would be a bother to you if I go over. "

"Actually, it was the contrary, Matou-san, we would love to have you over." In contrast to either of their expectations, Rin joined the conversation on the Shirou's side. "As for your brother, I'm sure you can leave some sort of note for him."

"Yes, I could, but…" Sakura's refusal was stuck in her throat as she realized that there were no more excuses to thwart their offer. "…Well, in that case, I think I will take up on your kind offer."

"That's great! We'll meet up at my place later then."

"Actually, Senpai, I'd rather leave with you. Can you please give a few minutes so that I could tidy things up and pack my stuff?"

"Well, sure. Go ahead. Tohsaka and I will be waiting."

"Thank you. I'll try to make it quick." Sakura nodded and hurriedly left the room.

The quick tempo of her light footsteps made Shirou call after her in worry. "Take your time. We can wait. It's better that you didn't fall down and break anything."

After his words came a flustered affirmation from Sakura, although she showed no sign of slowing down. Giving up on his attempt to convince her otherwise, Shirou turned his attention to the opportunist who was fiddling with a flower vase that stood to the side of the room.

"Tohsaka…If I may ask, what are you doing?"

"My, is it so wrong for a girl to stop by to admire some flowers?"

"No, not for a normal girl, but, for you, yes."

"What a groundless suspicion! I'm hurt you think of me like that, Emiya-kun" Rin exclaimed, feigning shock. Despite what she'd said, the fact that her right hand momentarily glowed with magic energy showed that Shirou's accusation wasn't too far-fetched.

"I've learned a lot about you in these past few days. You could say I was disillusioned from the oh-so-prim-and-proper image you've fooled everyone with."

"Well, you caught me. Perhaps I might have hidden a few flowers I plucked out in my shirt pocket."

"…That's not all is it?"

"Maybe. Since we still can't come to a judgment, don't you agree that we should find a more conclusive hint to her guilt or innocence?…Don't make that kind of face, Emiya-kun, I wouldn't be using something dangerous, not at this stage anyway. I will tell you what it is when the time comes and we'll make the judgment together, sounds fair?"

Although the look in his eyes was skeptical, Shirou silently yielded. Manipulative as she was, he knew she wasn't one for needless violence. "Anyway, you don't look surprise at all with what I did. Actually, I was the one being surprised that you would support me."

"With you around, I figured this would, more or less, be the way things ended up. Still, it's a good course of action to take, so I didn't argue. Besides, she did show signs of reluctance until the very end. If she is truly a Master then it is likely that she would be reluctant in leaving her lair, especially to that of another Master's, assuming that she knows of our identity, of course."

"You're over-thinking it. Maybe she was just being modest."

"Perhaps, but it's wiser to be prepared for the worst rather than dismissing the possibilities with optimism. You should be careful too, Emiya-kun. While it would be harder for her to act under our surveillance, we're also facing the risk of getting stabbed in the back ourselves, once again, assuming that she is a Master."

"…It sure sounds like you totally believe that Sakura's the culprit."

"I do, but, as per our agreement, neither of us will be making any definitive judgment, at least not until we more have more credible evidences...At any rate, we should drop this conversation. It seems that Matou-san will rejoin us soon."

Just before Rin finished her sentence, the pitter-patter of Sakura's footsteps could be heard. Soon enough, her figure emerged in the doorway, chest heaving as she grasped for breath. A little to her side was a traveling suitcase, fully packed and ready.

"Well…that was fast"

"…Indeed. Are you sure that you have everything you'll need, Matou-san?"

" Y-Yes! It's alright. I don't want you wait long for me."

"If you say so. Should we be taking our leave then? We still might still be able to finish dinner in time."

"Wait, let Sakura rest a little first. We can have late dinner tonight."

"No, Senpai, I can manage. I can leave now." Preceding even Rin who had just got on her feet, Sakura took off to the front, leaving the baffled Shirou to be the only one left in his seat.

It was then that Shirou noticed some abnormalities in Sakura's action. Be it the unease in her gait or the frequent stuttering in her speech he couldn't exactly tell, but the feeling was there. It appeared as if that she was experiencing extreme anxiety, perhaps even bordering on fear. The main question, however, was the source of this emotion.

_Of course, she's afraid of me. She knows what I did to Shinji_. _She's thinking I might do the same to her!_ The thought rose up in panic, but it was soon dismissed by the following argument of reason.

_Then it makes no sense that she would want to stay at my place. If she really knows it was me then she would have called the police._

_What if she just wanted to make sure?_ _What if she was just playing along until I let down my guard? _

"…pai"

_Nonsense! Sakura is not that type of person._

"…npai"

_Is she really? Do you remember what you have become? To her, you are no friend but a murderer. Look closely. I can even see them in her eyes: the hatred, the rage, the accusation. _

"…enpai"

_What rage? What accusation? There is none is her eyes. Sakura is not so complex a person. If she suspects me, she already would've- _

"Senpai."

Sakura's voice broke Shirou out of his mental debate. As his vision gradually focused, her worried eyes were staring back into his.

"Could it be that you want to stay longer?" She asked nervously, as if pinning her hope upon his answer. Relief washed over her face as she saw him slide his chair backward.

"No, I was just thinking about something. Let's go then. Here, let me help." Without asking her consent, Shirou turned to snatch her bag and walked away before she could raise an objection. His guilt-laden mind was desperate for refuge and thus compelled him to grab on to every opportunity to be treat her well, no matter how seemingly insignificant.

Seeing that she wouldn't able to change his mind, Sakura wordlessly followed him to the front door where she came to a little pause. Now that she was about to leave for real, a certain emotion caused her to cast a sad glance into the interior of the building. While there seemed to be no one on the receiving end, the message that could be gleaned from her lingering gaze was clear.

It was an apology.

"Matou-san, we are leaving now. Are you going to come with us?"

"Yes, right away!" As if hearing Rin's voice from beyond the door broke the spell that bound her, Sakura came to her senses and hastily followed them outside.

The first step she took into the street seemed to invigorate her spirit. As she hurried to catch up with Shirou and Rin, her face was free from all traces of the distress that just a few minutes ago were plaguing her mind.

Nevertheless, it was unwise that she would so soon indulge in this momentary relief.

Just as their eyes were removed from it, the estate underwent a sudden transformation. As if abandoning its camouflage, the building which, until that moment, had innocently blended with the surrounding scenery now loomed menacingly, casting a grim shadow on the street below.

**Matou Residence Interior** **(18.10 PM)**

Hidden from the two visitors was the basement of the Matou Household, a dark dank room whose function was a stage for vile rituals and human sacrifices.

Within its rough stone walls were many great secrets of the Matou family, spanning from the past to the present. Among which was one that would be of particular interest to Shirou and Rin. If they had only stumbled upon it, their current mystery would've been solved in a moment.

Still, the fact that they didn't should not be a cause of surprise. Even if they weren't being such courteous guests and decided to snoop around, it was likely that they would simply pass by it without a glance back.

The room was elusive, so much so that even to the last few generations of the Matous themselves failed to locate this secret in their very own dwelling, although their dwindling magi bloodline could partly be blamed for the matter.

As one might suspect, it wasn't a product of natural force that the basement could remain hidden to such extent. To this end, a powerful ward was erected along the entire length of the room, designed to completely sever its ties to the outside world, a perfect insurance that neither naked eyes nor detection magic could give way to an accidental discovery.

The only exceptions to have entered were the few whose entry was permitted by the only longtime occupant of the room, Matou Zoken, the living ancestor of the current generation of Matous and the only remaining magus to bear this ancient lineage.

It was only in here that he saw fit to unleash the next horror of his scheme, a scheme to which many had already been sacrificed. Recently joining their rank was his incompetent fool of a grandson, whose blood had been shed to deceive those who had caught on to it.

While he hadn't set in his mind for certain that the confrontation would result in the youth's death, the outcome was within his realm of speculation, thus he greeted it with total indifference.

Besides, all that of value about the boy was already reclaimed and, once again, was safely emblazoned into his flesh.

Zoken gazed thoughtfully at the symbol imprinted in his left arm and reveled in the absolute dominion that it granted him. Then he moved on to another inhabitant of the room, a woman that lay on a bed of granite bound by chains and cuffs.

It was such a wonder that even a being that had struck fear into hearts of men for generations would lay prostrate before these small sigils.

While he greatly lamented the fact that he would soon have but one use of the spell left at his disposal, it was an absolute necessity to sacrifice two for the sake of his grand scheme; the first was used to submerge his plan into subversive shade to escape the probing of the few watchful eyes that were becoming aware of his activity, the second was to ensure his survival until his plan would bear its fruit.

Nevertheless, the use these two command spells allowed him to lay a solid foundation to his road to the Grail, thus there was no more need to employ the third for any reason. Through years of thorough planning, Zouken genuinely believed that he was set to be the victor of the Grail War.

At long last, he was closer than ever to see the fulfillment of the only goal that had sustained his withered existence for the past few centuries, but there was no excitement for him to feel. The capacity for such a childish emotion was lost on him, there was only satisfaction that the plan was proceeding as it should.

No longer sensing any presence in the house, Zoken realized that he was left to his delusion for long enough and broke out of his reverie.

"They have left, taking the girl along with them," he started with raspy voice. "It is time to proceed with the ritual."

"Why?" Rider hissed. Her violet hair splayed across the granite surface, craggy and rough from the weathering of time. "You are not one to release her so easily."

"The only method to prevent this turn of events was through direct intervention, but you must see that it is unwise to expose myself before a foe twice our number, even more so, when my Servant is bound." He traced his shriveled finger along her naked shoulder. Although cold to the touch, her skin was ripe with feminine suppleness.

She shirked from his touch, although the chain didn't allow much room for her to escape. While she was not one for words, her gesture clearly shown defiance.

"The final part of this ritual is stimulating for those unused to it. I can't let you break anything while trashing about."

"…" Rider said no words in return, although her gesture was one of disbelief.

"Heed my warning and save your strength...The once fearsome Gorgon must have had a difficult time living under a guise of man. Your burden will soon be removed."

"What are you-" She had not the chance to finish her question as a mouth prop was inserted between her jaws akin to what dentist would use in treatments.

Zoken made a few adjustments to pry her jaws apart, only stopping before a hairbreadth before he would dislodge them. Not being too gentle in his application of the tool, Rider moaned in pain, but the worst had yet to come.

What happened next turned the glint of defiance in Rider's eyes into one of horror.

Drilling their way out of his shriveled left hand were maggots, nearly a hundred in number. Soon enough more joined the horde, disfiguring his limb into a large colony of vermin. With total indifference to the sensation that would have made fully grown men flail their arms about while screaming in disgust, Zoken scooped the tiny abominations with his right and shoved a fistful into Rider's mouth.

While each was no more than a size of fruit worm, collectively, the amount she was force fed barely left any space in her mouth. Panic made the maggots wriggled fiercely as if realizing that it was no longer usual stale flesh of an old man they were feeding upon. They moved around, constantly wriggling, into every nooks and crannies from the upper jaw line to soft tissue under her tongue.

She tried to bite down and spit the creatures out, albeit futilely as the mouth prop prevented her from clamping her jaws shut.

Even as her senses were overwhelmed with the stench of rotten flesh, the revolting taste of slime, and the maggot's fleshy texture as they crept over her tongue, Rider had no means to defend herself.

Calming from the earlier confusion, the horde began their instinctive journey to find a new home within the host body. As if possessing one mind, they simultaneously traveled through the length of her esophagus.

Their movement afflicted Rider with a sudden urge to throw up. The rumble in the stomach surged to her throat, bringing along the sour taste of bile.

Soon, she realized that the instinctive attempt to wash the creatures from the more delicate parts of her body was actually working against her. With the cuff restraining the slightest movement of her neck, she had no means to remove the surging liquid in her throat and was left gagging on her own vomit.

The sudden absence of air to her lungs alarmed Rider as she started struggling to get into a more natural positioning for vomiting. Amidst her struggle, the lock suddenly decided to give in. While she was still lost in surprise, a hand roughly seized her head and yanked it to the side of the bed.

It appeared that Zoken had assisted her in the matter by producing the key to her neck cuff. He watched with a sharp gaze as the content that flooded her throat spilled to the floor, accompanied by wheezy gurgles as she gasped for air.

Although Rider herself was too weary to make the observation herself, all that came out of her oral cavity was liquid; not even a single squirming maggot could be found in the puddle of her body fluid. Nature, after all, had equipped them with a skill to best all other creatures in this aspect.

For every shred of resistance she showed, the maggots retaliated. Using their hook-like appendage, they latched on to the squishy surface of her internal organs, tearing her flesh from within upon every contraction of her throat muscle.

While she was fairly accustomed to outer flesh wounds, being torn alive from the inside was an entirely new sensation altogether.

Losing the ability to keep her mind straight, her limbs twitched and jerked with each sporadic episode of pain. Each movement was so violent that the metal cuffs dug deep enough into her wrists and ankles to draw blood.

After what seemed to be like an eternity, the pain eventually ceased as the maggots completed their journey and burrowed into the warm flesh of her stomach, slurping up the magic energy that passed through her abdominal region. Nevertheless, the sensation that came in its place gave her no more rest than the previous.

While this new sensation bore a resemblance to pain, its nature was more akin to a burning itch in her internal organ, an itch so terrible that she would've tried to claw her innards out if her hand were free of restraints.

Her struggle intensified along with the clanging of chain and uncontrolled screams. Trail of drool dripped from her gaping mouth. Sheet of sweat glossed her pale skin.

Alas, the chains would not break.

"The girl can be left to her delusion of freedom. Once the ritual is finished, she can be reclaimed with ease. I do not have an eternity to spare, but a few days of wait are manageable."

The door clicked shut and Rider was left to suffer in the confining darkness of the basement.

All her screams and struggles gave rise to a single emotion. While it was not foreign, it was one nearly forgotten. The pain that it brought to her was so great that, in an attempt to keep herself safe from it, the emotion was buried deep within the recess of her mind.

What she experienced was the hatred of mankind at whose egotistical hands she had suffered ever since her eyes had first fluttered upon this accursed world.

Just as her consciousness slipped, Rider let out a cry of beastly rage.

**Emiya Household Kitchen** **(18.48 PM)**

Abel was presented with a great dilemma before the kitchen counter of the Emiya Household, one that could potentially turn their meal into a disaster.

The responsibility was pushed onto him after a short phone call from Rin notified him that one among them should proceed with cooking dinner. The immediate need for this emergency measure was made all the more obvious by Saber progressively sour mood ever since she heard that neither Shirou nor would return in time to make dinner.

With the option between Saber, who completely lacked the ability to distinguish between a kitchen knife and a weapon of war, and Samael, who seemed to possess an uncanny knack in transforming food into biological hazards, Abel realized that it was up to him alone to deliver a decent meal for the remaining occupants.

The challenge, however, might prove too great. Despite the fact that Rin gave him a very specific instruction to make deep-fried pork cutlets, his fear of undercooking the meat was ever persistent in convincing him to boil it again in water for good measure.

Coming to a compromise between his fear and rationale, Abel decided that ten minutes or so of intense boiling wouldn't harm the taste…too badly that is.

_I hope they wouldn't mind a soggy cutlet. It's better than giving them a stomach ache._

Satisfied with his conclusion, Abel started the process of turning the decently cooked piece of pork cutlet into a tasteless goop of baby food.

After all the effort, it seemed that the possibility receiving a decent meal for the night seemed to be beyond hope. Not unless…

"Wait, please stop!" A feminine voice hastily cried out to stop Abel ruining the entire dinner. A soft sensation met his hand, clasping it tightly to prevent the prized cutlet from be dropped into the pot.

Like child getting caught in the middle of his mischief, Abel froze. Nervously turning backward, his jaw dropped at the sight of Sakura standing behind him, huffing as she let out a sigh.

"I-I made it in time." Her face softened with relief. Seeing that she insisted on helping with the dinner as soon as she arrived, it was only through her diligence that their dinner was saved. "P-Please…don't boil the pork cutlets...They should be good as is."

"Uh…huh." Abel gurgled incoherently in acknowledgement. While not exactly obvious, it was the soft sensation of her hand that forced his brain into a temporary loss of speech.

"Hm? Is something...O-Oh, sorry!" Realizing the cause of his distress, Sakura yanked her hand away in a hurry.

They deliberately turned their gaze from one another when the red hue of embarrassment seeped into both their cheeks, although it was apparent that Abel was having a much more severe case of the two. While Sakura was not first female he had interacted with even after 18 years of near seclusion, she was certainly the first he felt the urge to do so through his own volition.

It was strange, Abel realized.

In ordinary circumstances, he would have simply fled the scene from the sheer embarrassment, but, for a reason unfathomable even by him, there was a certain quality about the girl that managed to pique his interest. The gravity of which was so strong that that allowed his legs to remain rooted to the spot even after she had removed her hand.

"B-But I'm not sure whether it is cooked enough or not. I-I don't want us to get stomach ache. I mean it-it might not be cleaned and there might be b-bacteria and stuff and it might make us sick." Freed from the spell of her touch, a stream of words flooded out of Abel's mouth, although nervousness caused it to be laced with numerous cracks and stutters.

"O-Oh, I think you could try to cut it open and see the inside."

"R-Right, I-I didn't think of that, but I-I mean I thought it might ruin the meat."

"W-Well…if you don't mind." Sakura timidly approached the counter and pushed her thumb against each cutlet. Her finger lingered on each for a second before moving to the next, just enough for her to feel the texture under the deep-fried batter that covered the piece.

Being totally inept in the ways of cooking, her action brought much confusion to Abel, although he dare not disrupt her with a question. His gaze trailed after her hand with great interest as if watching an exotic ritual.

After a while, Sakura turned up with a satisfied smile on her face. Her tone seemed to be bestowed with an unexpected dose of confidence once they ventured into the area of cooking. "I think this one should be alright…And this one will be better after a minute in a pan."

"I-I'm sorry, but what were…"

"Sorry! I-I mean I just did that all of the sudden!" Realizing that she was under a stranger's watch, her confidence was lost as rapidly as it had come. "I just…well, checked the texture. Raw meat should be squishier than cooked meat. Umm-um, I think this one should be quite firm already."

Urged on by her, Abel proceeded to feel the meat. His inexperienced hand managed to glean no difference, giving a similar fleshy texture to the tip of his index finger.

"I-I don't know what say." Seeing the difference in their cooking skill, Abel hung his head dejectedly. "I've never realized that I was so ignorant in the way of cooking, yet I've thought what I did was good for everyone…I'm so ashamed."

"W-Well, it's not something you have to be sorry about! I just had more opportunity to practice my cooking, that's all…And-And boiling the cutlet might not be totally off, I mean you just need to use the correct recipe…I'll try to see whether there's enough ingredients."

With her suggestion getting him out of his slump, Sakura started rummaging the refrigerator for ingredients. With a triumphant smile, she soon returned with a bag of onions and a few eggs in hand.

"…W-well, I think you could leave this to me. I-I'll try to get it ready in twenty minutes or so."

"I-I can't do that. I was assigned to the cooking shift today, so I, well, can't possibly make you help."

"Oh no…Please don't be troubled. I mean I do enjoy cooking, so it's not a burden."

"No, no, please let me. I-I mean I don't have the slightest common sense in cooking but if it's preparing, then I should at least be…"

Finding herself unable to deny his desperate request to be of assistance, Sakura conceded.

"…Umm, then can you please help me prepare the onions? I will work on the remaining cutlets."

"Oh, alright, I just have to…uh, cut them into pieces…right?" Imitating his combat stance, Abel testingly swung the knife in a sideways swing. That was when Sakura became convinced that her assistance was needed, although it came a tad too late.

Although onion was cleaved in two with just a single stroke, the clear excess of force than what was required for the task flung the upper half into the air.

Just as he cocked his head upward to follow the escaped piece, the white ringed surface dropped down and filled his vision. Without the time to move away, its cross-section landed on his right eye in the most disgraceful manner.

"Graghh!" An unrestrained scream erupted from Abel's mouth as the juice from onion oozed into the vulnerable layer of his eyes. At least, he had enough sense to place the kitchen knife on the counter, before allowing himself to be flung in an uncontrollable episode of pain.

Apparently not in a state to think clearly, Abel's hand followed the force of instinct to rub the foreign substance from his eye.

Little did he know that it would only add insult to his injury…and shame. The frantic movement of his arm caused Abel to accidently smeared the juice to his other eye.

Another scream followed as a result.

"Graggh!" Scrambling for the sink, his feet became tangled. With neither time nor the attention to regain his balance, Abel tumbled down face first as if he had a sudden urge to kiss the ground.

The scene was certainly pitiful enough to make one feel obligated to help. However, with all his uncontrollable flailing, Sakura could find no opportunity to assist directly. Still, fearing that his wild movement would accidentally knock the knife over from the edge of the counter, she tried to move it away from his arm reach…

…And unknowingly set the scene for the worst insult of all in this short comedic episode.

"Just what is going on in here? What's with all that noise-"

The door slid over to the side, revealing Rin, who had just entered to see a scene she otherwise would never have dreamed of seeing. Before her was a knife-wielding Sakura pointing the blade at a tear-ridden Abel. The initial implication of the scene was unnerving, but, being keen as ever, she soon grasped the situation and decided make impish side known.

"Well, I think I should leave you alone. Don't mind me just continue to attend to your business."

"P-Please wait! It's not what you think, Tohsaka-Senpai!"

"Oh, and I never thought that you would be the type to use that approach, Matou-san. Looks can certainly be deceiving," Rin remarked nonchalantly and left, nearly unable to hold in her laughter.

"As I said, it was a misunderstanding!" Although Sakura was quick in her pursuit, Rin had already disappeared along the corridor just as she poked her head outside.

Deeming that the issue not being worth of chasing down the laughing girl around the house, Sakura turned her attention back to the task at hand. With some luck, she hoped that the misunderstanding could be cleared during dinner and retreated into the kitchen.

During the short exchange between Rin and Sakura, Abel had managed to wash his eyes over the sink and afterward flopped down on it in exhaustion.

Seeing that, Sakura allowed herself to condone Rin's laughter. While pitiful, the sight of a man reduced to the stage of submerging his face in a kitchen sink due to an onion is certainly worthy of a laugh. Before her eyes, a self proclaimed killer was just getting screwed over by a piece of vegetable.

In an attempt to stop the urge that was building up in her face and stomach, Sakura clasped her hand over her mouth. It was considerate of her to avoid offending him with her laughter, although she managed to do a poor job of it.

Picking up a muffled sound from his side, Abel turned his head to see her form nearly doubling over in an attempt to control her laughter.

"Ahh, you're horrible. Laughing at me like that." Raising his voice to show displeasure, he succeeded no more than getting his voice to a higher pitch, which, in all respects, only made him appear more pitiful.

"I-I-I'-m really s-sorry, b-but i-it wa-was." Although feeling guilty, she couldn't manage to bring herself to a stop.

After a while, Abel resigned to the fact that he couldn't possibly cut short the episode of her laughter. Not that he actually wanted to in the first place. It sure was better to see her laugh than being all tense around him.

By the time that her wave of hilarity subsided, Abel had already returned to his feet with the knife in hand and ready to continue his task, but before that…

"C-Can you teach me this time? I mean..."

"Yes…This time I think it might be better I show you how to." Stifling a giggle, Sakura took her place beside Abel.

"Please do."

"Yes, I will. First, you'll have to peel off the skin and then…"

Despite his unimpressive record with cooking, Abel was an eager learner. Soon, he managed without her watchful glance and the dinner preparation continued smoothly. As much as he hated to admit, having daggers as one of his weapons of choice did ease his learning process in wielding this similarly sized and weighted kitchen knife.

With both of them focusing on their task, the only sound in the room was soft tapping of the knife against the cutting board and the sizzling of the frying pan.

The silence gave Abel a short moment to sneak a peek at Sakura. It would appear that a few seconds of laughter had performed a significant wonder upon her. He couldn't help but notice that laughter had replaced the tension on her face with a soft smile.

Momentarily taking her attention off the flimsy frying pan, she cast him a gaze as if to ask whether something was amiss.

The realization that she had caught his stare made Abel promptly snapped his head away and timidly returned to his duty.

Nevertheless, Abel realized that he didn't mind playing a fool earlier. Her smile alone was a prize worthy of all the embarrassment he had gone through. In all retrospect, a very profitable exchange.

There we go! Read and review please!

* * *

Read and review please!


	16. A Quick Magic Lesson

******Chapter 16: A Quick Magic Lesson**

**Emiya Household, Garden (22.34AM)**

"…I hope she know what she's doing," Shirou muttered under his breath as he waded through the darkness, gradually making his way to the guesthouse.

The reason for this late night visit was, of course, nothing other than an invitation from Rin to fulfill her part of the bargain to teach him basic magic and, hopefully, shed some light on his ability.

In accordance to the plan they'd discuss in the afternoon, Shirou had quietly snuck out of his room, after retiring early under the pretense of fatigue. Learning from his many past mistakes, this time he did notify Saber of his departure beforehand.

The knight greeted this news with clear displeasure. Shirou's already poor record seemed to have done nothing but convince her that it was unwise to let him sneak around for another night, no matter that his destination was a mere 15 meters away from their room.

It took a good half an hour of pleading and Rin's lobbying before Saber finally backed down. Her counteroffer of standing watch before the room until Shirou would safely return was a move that would have just defeated the whole purpose of sneaking in the first place.

Aside from the fact that her presence would constantly give away his location to anyone who would look through the house window, Shirou would very much rather have her use the time to rest. Although Saber was in constant denial, he knew how her fatigue accumulated on a daily basis in keeping the night watch. It wasn't as if he couldn't notice the few small yawns here and there.

At least, if he couldn't convince her to maintain a healthy duration of sleep, Shirou was determined to give her time to rest while he attended to other business. After all, even Servants could only push themselves so far against the bodily limits and sleep was clearly at the top of the list.

Crack-

Shirou jumped at the sound of a twig breaking beneath his feet. The need for discretion had left his senses on the edge.

It certainly was a peculiar feeling to sneak around the house that by all rights his property, but the price of being discovered midway was much steeper. He needed no eavesdropping ears from the Burier or, even worse, misunderstandings from Sakura to stem this suspicious late-night rendezvous.

Nevertheless, Shirou was grateful for the fact that the keenest among the three, Samael, was absent for the night, being caught in the middle of a search for Dracula. He'd been expecting that the man would be onto him like a watchdog ever since that fateful night of the encounter with Rider and Shinji. This expectation rapidly turned out to be false.

Perhaps, being fed-up with Shirou, Samael had left the guard duty to Abel, while he himself chose to roam the city.

The arrangement had gone on for the last two days, much to Shirou's delight.

After taking another glance left and right to make sure neither Abel nor Sakura was in the vicinity, Shirou covered the last stretch to reach the guesthouse and rapped the door twice as instructed beforehand.

Soon, he heard the lock unlatched. The wooden then door swung open to reveal Tohsaka Rin in her night robe, a lacy gown of pale yellow.

Never before thinking that she would be comfortable enough to don in such a casual attire, a blush crept up Shirou face.

"Woah, what are you doing, Tohsaka! Why are you dressing like this!" Being used to see her in formal attire, the lack of it seemed to give her an air of unexpected vulnerability.

"You are way too nervous. This is only because it will be very late by the time that we finish and I'd rather not sneak back into the main house for a bath…Happy?" After a sigh, Rin gestured for him to enter. "Here, come in already before anyone finds you."

"Oh...Right."

His heart thumped at the fresh smell of shampoo that wafted by as he hastily entered. The flowery aroma blended well with her natural scent. The mixture was so very effective in making him all the more conscious of the fact that she had just taken a bath.

It didn't help either that this was his first time being invited into a girl's room….not counting the time when a 'certain' girl sneaked into his, of course.

It was a different experience from sharing the night with Saber. While Rin's delicious curves did attract his eyes, there wasn't the same air of comfort and repose that he enjoyed while in Saber's company.

"You may sit there, Emiya-kun."

"…Oh, sorry, did you say something?"

Naturally, Shirou was at a loss at what to do without making an utter fool of himself. After all, this was to be his first time legitimately learning magic. With the myriad of complications to visit them nightly, it wasn't easy to secure an empty timeslot for this lesson.

Shirou's lack of response earned him a sigh before he could catch on to the situation. Hurriedly, he lowered himself on to the stool with his back straight and eyes glued to Rin's movement. The lack of experience in this matter allowed him to approach the situation with a child-like interest in every bit and detail, hoping to catch a glimpse of something that could be remotely considered magical.

He didn't have to wait long.

_Oh, and the jewel was effective I assume. _ A voice ringed in his head while Rin bended down to sort out her teaching materials. While it initially startled him with the feeling that his mind was being invaded, he gotten used to it over time and replied promptly.

_Yeah, it is_. Shirou touched the lump in his pocket and concentrated on each word. The small jewel then did the remaining work, translating his words into a signal of magic energy, sending it to the complementing one that Rin carried, which would then translate the signal back into a more comprehensible form.

Rather like a magic cell phone in the term of usage, it was Rin's chosen means of communication to tell him when she would be ready for the lesson. She cited the need to keep their meeting a secret from the other residents. After all, it was much too farfetched to assume that any of them possessed the ability to read minds, but Shirou had his doubts about her reasoning.

A hushed call with an actual cell phone wouldn't rank much lower on the scale when it came to discretion, but Shirou didn't mind that she had used opportunity to show her magic prowess. If anything, it only made him more willing to be taught by her.

"I'm really impressed, Tohsaka. I never thought that magic could be used for something like this," Shirou commented with a look of genuine interest as he returned the jewel to Rin's waiting hand.

"What are you are saying? Converting your thought into mana formation is the basis of casting spells. Your incantation would have to be in the form of a mana signal to be able to convey the effect of the spell you intend. Conveying thought is the same deal. I just need a receptor to work in reverse of the usual process."

"Is it? I never know that. Does every magus communicate like this then?"

"…Right," A realization just upon Rin. "You've never been to the Association. Well, you'll be surprised at how many magi communicate in this manner. Although there are only few talented practitioners that can tamper with human thought process directly, most magi can imitate the way they send the message through their mind with magic items acting as transmitter and receptor."

"So that's where those two jewels come in…"

"Yes, I spent hours engraving the command to translate between mana signal and verbal message on both of them so that I would have an advantage when it comes to communicating with my Servant. It was pretty discouraging to see all that effort was in vain just because the Holy Grail already provides this service with the command spell. Good thing you are here, Emiya-kun, at least these two are not wasted."

"Right… I'm even more impressed. It would take years of learning for me to do something like that."

"…Well, I can only hope that enthusiasm of yours will last. At any rate, be warned that I'm going to be fast with the lesson. Assuming that you've already learned the basic concepts, this would be just a recap to see how much you know."

"Wait a minute, I would rather that you go through the lesson very slowly…Well, I would need quite a lot of time to understand what you say."

"Hmm, that's alright but only if you want to spend the whole night here. At any rate, don't stress yourself so much. Even without proper education, you would be able to recognize most of the concepts I talk about through your own experience."

"…" Shirou didn't object, but his eyes showed no confidence.

"Just think of it this way then. You already have hand-on experiences in using magic. Now, you would just need to link the concept I talk about with what you already know. Does that sound better to you? "

"…Actually, it still is a problem. My experience with magic is very…um, limited."

"If you did summon Saber, then you must already know how to make a magic circle. We can build from that."

"Well, you see, Tohsaka, I've never created a magic circle…Saber just sort of popped up from the spot than I use for magic training."

"That's absurd. A Servant of her caliber being summoned from a makeshift magic circle?" Rin narrowed her eyes with skepticism. "Now that's the stupidest thing I've heard since the beginning of this war."

"Well, yeah…it seems unreal to me too…" Having no answer to spare, Shirou could only go along with her, hoping that she wouldn't delve further into the matter. Much to his relief….

"I suppose we'll have to leave that for later, if we want any rest tonight." Rin heaved a sigh, seeing no use for another interrogation. One thing she'd learned about Shirou was his inability to feign innocence. "Let's try to narrow what you know down then, Emiya-kun. Tell me that that you at least know the invocation for the 4 basic elements…"

"…No."

"What about runes? You must at least know some."

"…Not them either."

"…How about a mystic code? Even if your summoning was done haphazardly, you couldn't possibly gather enough energy to summon Saber with just that amount of mana in your circuit."

"I'm sorry, can you say that again? The part about that mystic ode or something…?"

"Mystic codes," Rin corrected. "They are instruments used to store magic energy. To put it simply, mystic codes function as spare batteries for magi. Perhaps you would know it by some other name. It's fairly common for magi who've never attended the academy to stumble upon these applications on their own."

"Umm, Tohsaka…you see…You are the first one to tell that magic energy can be stored like that."

"So you never have had any prior experience in this field either."

"…No."

"Seriously…Why did Saber ever choose a guy like this?" Finding herself to lack any simpler classroom concepts, Rin turned aside and mumbled darkly. Her self-confidence took a heavy blow to the fact that she had lost the race to this amateur in acquiring a Servant of choice.

"Tohsaka? You're still with me?"

"Yes, what do you want?"

Shirou cringed from the annoyance that seeped into her tone, but did retain the will to push forth with his question.

"The magic code you talked about, is it similar to when I strengthen objects?"

"Strengthening magic? Now that's quite a rare ability to pick up." Rin perked her ears at his words. Curiosity was in her eyes. "But first to answer your question, they are not exactly the same. The initial process is similar though. In both cases, you would have to fill an object with your magic energy. Strengthening will use energy to make the object more durable. To make a magic code, you would just have to stop the process and leave the energy in its dormant state. Did you get that, Emiya-kun?"

"…Uh, yeah."

"Still, I'm surprised. Normally, magic students would take years to find an object they have sufficient affinity for to be their magic code. Strengthening would come later since you would have to familiarize yourself with its physical form in addition to magic capacity. It sure seems like your priority in learning magic is completely messed up, Emiya-kun. Something like taking up long division when you could barely add two numbers together."

"…Yeah… I see," Shirou responded sheepishly, trying not to make an eye contact. Apparently, it was not an ideal time to reveal that most of his strengthening attempts merely ended as failures.

"Anyway, what's your object of affinity?"

"Pardon?"

"I mean the object that can hold your energy. In my case it should already be apparent," Rin clarified and gestured toward her jewel box. "You don't have to be embarrassed to only have one or two. That's the number most magi can handle."

"So you're saying there's a limit to this?"

"Isn't it obvious? Since our brain is made to process living organisms, it is difficult to develop such a deep understanding towards inanimate objects."

Shirou sought to match this newly found information with some of the prior inputs from his magic practice, although to no avail. He was reluctant to believe that the process could be as difficult as Rin had claimed. After all, even objects with the most complicated structures could be understood by a simple touch of his tracing magic.

"What's with that face? You seem troubled, Emiya-kun."

"I'm not sure about the limit part, Tohsaka. For me, it's pretty easy to learn the structure of an object. I'm not sure if this could be exactly considered as magic or not, but when I concentrate on an object I can visualize its structure in my mind."

"…Perhaps it is." Rin rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "But just mapping the object's blueprint in your mind isn't enough. The extent of understanding that is required would have to run deeper than that. When done correctly, the sensation could be described as projecting your consciousness into object."

_Projecting consciousness into an object, huh?_

Shirou toyed with the concept in his mind. Although Rin rebuked the possibility, the way it sounds like sure resembled the process he subject himself to while tracing. Unlike her assumption, the object's blueprint didn't pop up in his mind simply by touching. Although Shirou couldn't explain it well, it was a feeling more akin to recognizing the object as a part of himself. Once he could do so, the remaining information would then wash over him with a peculiar sense of familiarity even with objects that he'd never before seen or touched.

On a comprehensive scale there sure was a striking similarity to Rin's description, but, then again, considering his inexperience, the integration that they talked of might very well turn out to be completely different altogether. After all, it wasn't easy to capture the sensation of using magic with words alone.

"...At any rate, let's start with the lesson. It would be better to have time to catch some sleep afterward. Wouldn't you agree?"

Shirou nodded.

It sure wouldn't do well for them to drag this lesson on for the entire night. In addition to the fatigue, it was likely that an extremely worried Saber would come banging on their door. Without further ado, Shirou focused his mind on Rin's confident teaching voice.

"To start off, explain in your own words, Emiya-kun, what does the concept of magic refers to?"

Shirou froze on the very first question. Sure, he knew magic when he saw one, but it was difficult to translate that vague understanding into words.

"Umm…something unnatural?"

"….What's with that shallow explanation?" Rin's dubious gaze clearly indicated that his answer was not satisfactory. "Well, I suppose it's too much to expect a self-trained magus like you to know an answer to that. The real answer is that magic refers to the process of changing some element of the world through transference of a very specific form of energy."

"I'm not sure I follow."

"Hmm, to put it in simpler terms, magic is what the magus achieves through the use of his mana. For instance, when a magus conjures fire, his mana would have to be transferred and converted into heat energy. Well, since energy can't just appear out of nothing, most of the time it will have to be the user who supplies the required energy with his own mana pool."

"Alright…That is a little easier to understand." Shirou slowly began to wrap his mind around the concept. He knew that feeling well, the extreme fatigue that coiled around his entire body after every self-trained session with magic. "So that explains the fatigue when I use magic."

"Hmm that is more likely to be a result of your lack of training. Using magic could be compared to…let's say, running a marathon. More experienced users will have more energy to work with, so it will take much heavier stuff to tire them out. Well, with that amount of mana, you would probably collapse if you try the spell I used on Matou-kun."

"…" Shirou could find no word in his mouth. Apparently, it was an even worse time to tell her that fatigue wasn't the sole negative backlash he felt when using magic. More often than not, mind-wracking pain would also join in the fray whenever he tried to perform a sizable spell.

Using Rin's analogy, it would seem that he wasn't only a poor runner, but a handicapped one at that, perhaps with a limb or two missing.

"Well, at any rate, you still seem to have some experience. That's a good thing at least." Rin heaved a sigh. Disappointed apparently, but at least it was a tad better than having to teach him from scratch. "Before we proceed I want you clear of one misconception. You might already know it, but making sure doesn't hurt…"

Shirou leaned in with interest, silently hoping that he would not happen to be one of those who were blinded by the misconception.

"Unlike what most people are led to believe, magic is not an all-powerful tool to achieve the user's every wish. That kind of assumption is simply absurd. Like all natural phenomenon, magic also has to follow certain rules and requires specific components to be performed correctly," Rin briefed and proceeded to chalk up a crude diagram on the black board she'd brought along with two arrows pointing toward a square box containing the word magic.

"Roughly there are two core components to all types of magic. The first is incantation."

After a short pause to scribble the word at one end of the arrow, Rin continued.

"Incantation is the command word, the procedural instruction for the magic. This word or sequence of words will determine the conversion that your mana will undergo. They can be expressed through thoughts or spoken and written words. All languages can be utilized to achieve this end, although the effectiveness would vary, depending on how much influence they hold over the natural law of the world. In this sense, the same spell written with runes would be able to achieve a stronger effect than one written in English alphabets. Are you still following, Emiya-kun?"

Shirou nodded, furiously trying to imprint her words into his mind. At a time like this, he regretted not bringing some writing material along.

"The second component is energy." Rin turned to fill in the second arrow as she lectured. "This is the fuel which will be utilized to make the physical changes in the world as governed by the incantation. I've touched on it a little during the initial explanation, so now we're going to go deeper into this concept."

Shirou nodded, urging her to continue.

"Using the same example, when the magus conjures fire, the amount of the mana required will be equivalent to heat energy that the fire releases. Perhaps you might've heard the law of conversation of energy if you paid attention in science class."

"…Yeah, about that, Tohsaka, remind me how it goes."

"…Well, Emiya-kun, I have to say that I'm expecting you to be a better student in my class than you were in Fujimura Sensei's, so please don't betray my expectation. There would be no one to jolt your memory on how to use magic in the middle of a fight."

"Hey, I wasn't exactly dozing off in the science class. That was the last year's material. Besides, I did pass the exam."

"With a grade much lower than mine, I'm sure."

"Urgh…!"

Her reply ceased Shirou's attempts to argue. It was an irrefutable fact that his grade was more than one whole letter below her. That alone effectively cut down his choice of retorts to nothing.

Satisfied with Shirou's look of defeat, Rin continued.

"Well, I suppose I can help you out. The law states that energy can neither be created nor destroyed, only transferred. The reason why we should be interested in it is that the law holds true even in the case of magic, only that mana is simply one of the lesser-known form of energy."

"…Yeah, since most people don't know that mana exists."

"It's not exactly that they do not know. More precisely, ordinary people possess no sensory perception that allows them to recognize mana…Well, from that point of view, it is only normal that they would think that magi can just cheat their way out of the natural law, thus the persecution of the magic users."

"You mean something like a witch hunt?"

"Yes, that is one classic example. Humans are always quick to be scared of something beyond what we can perceive and mana is one thing that made it to the top of the list. Anyway, while we're at it, why don't you try to define mana, in your own words… And, before you would say so, mana is not just something unnatural. Think a little harder this time."

"Mana is, well, uhh…" Shirou wracked his head apart for an answer until it stumbled upon the description used by his father. "…the energy of the world, maybe?"

"Hmm, that answer would suffice. Congratulations, it would seem that you are not exactly an infant when it comes to magic knowledge, a toddler more like."

"Now I'm not really sure whether to be happy with that."

"You could be in this context. At least, you weren't caught in another misconception that mana as a source of energy is produced by magus' own self."

"It isn't?" Shirou couldn't clamp his jaw shut before the question rolled out.

Immediately, he was confronted with Rin's exasperated glare.

"…You are really making me regret complimenting you, Emiya-kun. Didn't you just answer that mana originated from the world, not the magus?"

"Ahh…Well, yeah…I forgot."

"…Remember it this time," Rin said with a threatening edge to her voice. Apparently she didn't want to repeat the subjects for the second time. "So now can you tell me the reason why magus decided to utilize mana as our main source of energy?…Wait, actually, don't. I'm not sure my mind can handle more of your ignorance."

"…" Shirou wanted to argue, but found no valid standpoint to do so. It was as Tohsaka had said. He was truly ignorant in the way of magic.

"The answer to my question is diversity. Since mana is the energy that our world uses to regulate all natural processes, it has the capability to be converted to every other form of energies known to men, fire and electricity for instance, or even physical form as in the case of conjuration magic.

"…Wait, wait! Mana can take form?"

"Of course, Servants couldn't exist otherwise and, technically, neither could we. Just that we call those solidified mana with the name, odo."

"…Odo?"

"Yes, odo… You probably have never heard of it before, since its existence is not quite as much a common knowledge. They are, in the most basic term, a solidified form of magic energy, which is a building block to…well, almost everything in the world, animate or inanimate. After all, as an entity, the world needs to constantly convert its mana into a solid forms of odo to cover phenomena such as the growing of trees and crops, the formation of rock and stone, and even the birth of a human."

"…?" Shirou was listening intently, although his face was showing a big question mark.

"To make it easier for you, odo is the composition of everything that came into existence within our world, human bodies included. Just that it is simply a concept deeper than what was adopted by modern science. While a scientist might be able discern the chemical composition in a handful of soil, a skilled magus would simply recognize all of those components as odo."

"Tohsaka, question."

"Go ahead," Rin nodded in acknowledgement.

"I'm just wondering, would it be possible to use odo as an energy source?" It was a question sparked from innocent curiosity, but fact that Rin had slipped into a few seconds of contemplation allowed Shirou to know that he had correctly struck the main spot of this discussion.

"...That was a good question …One that skilled magi have been trying to crack for ages."

"Is it that difficult?"

"Well, in a sense, odo is an ample source of magic energy. Just think about it, odo is more concentrated than mana and much easier to carry around. In fact, just the amount in your body would be more than enough. Normal people might not notice it, but it's concentration in a human body is much higher than the amount that a normal magus can store in their circuit…Well, I suppose it is not easy for the world to create a sentient being with ability to cast magic."

"Then it sounds like a good possibility to explore."

"Don't be so hasty, Emiya-kun. To say that we can use odo to cast magic is no different from saying that we can eat lumber for breakfast. It is a source of energy alright, but not in a form that could be processed by human body. Besides, using the odo from your body is nothing short of cannibalizing yourself."

"Alright. Guess there really is no shortcut then."

"Of course not, if there really is one then other novice like you would already flock to it and the shortcut would be too to be considered as shortcut anymore."

"…You're right."

"But maybe you should try eating lumber for real, Emiya-kun. With that weird body of yours, I wouldn't be surprised if you would just be able to digest it one day and live like a woodpecker for the rest of your life."

"Say what again, Tohsaka? The last time I check I'm still a pretty normal human being."

"...You should already know that is not the case by now. Why don't you just think back to the conservation of energy and everything that you've done in these past few days?"

"Is it?…Hmm…" Shirou fell silent for a moment, contemplating.

"It's not that difficult. Even you yourself must recognize something unnatural…" Rin frowned at Shirou's seeming obliviousness. "…Unless you would consider breaking a few hundred pounds slab of a Heroic weapon an everyday thing. I strongly doubt it, though."

"…Oh right, so that's what you're talking about." The image of Berserker was gradually recalled into Shirou's mind, roaring with weapon hoisted high. "…So what I did wasn't normal….even for a magus standard?"

"Of course not, it wasn't!" Rin's tone turned harsher as if to berate his lack of common sense in this matter. "You should know that yourself!"

"…Tohsaka, are you, by any chance, angry?"

"…Angry? What make you say that, I wonder?…How could I be angry at an amateur who just waltzed in and broke Berserker's sword when I'm not even sure that my trump card can break it?…Of course not, I'm not angry at all."

_Furious, more like_. The sight of the vein in Rin's forehead made Shirou bite his careless tongue. It wasn't a wise idea to say his off-handed comment aloud.

"…And, its magnitude aside, your magic circuit shouldn't even have energy equivalent to Berserker's sword. If you ask me to hypothesize what would be the result when a magus of your level attempts that kind of spell, I would say that his magic circuit would be sucked even drier than the Sahara and the spell still wouldn't take effect. Admit it, Emiya-kun, there is really something strange at work with your magic."

"Maybe I've used something else to replace the mana required."

"Of course you must have used something! But whether that thing is your mana, your life energy, your soul, or whatever, we have no way of knowing unless you could do it again."

"…Hang on, Tohsaka, did you just include something quite scary in that list, something along the lines of my soul?"

"Well, Emiya-kun, if I were you, I would already be grateful that your untrained soul would actually have enough mana to break Berserker's sword. If there happens to be a used market for one, I doubt your soul would have fetched any significant price."

"…Ouch." He had to admit. Tohsaka Rin truly had a razor in the place of her tongue.

"But, since you are still talking to me here, it would seem that is not the case…" Then Rin grew silent. However, the inside of her brain was full of activity, assessing each plausible explanation for the event.

However, each time her face lit up upon approaching a new breakthrough, the cloud of argument and doubt would set in soon after. Rin continued in this manner for a while before she plopped down on her bed in defeat.

"Ahhh, what's with your magic, Emiya-kun? The harder I think about it, the less sense it makes," Rin complained and shook her head in resignation. Without reaching even a single answer, questions only seemed to pile up as she attempted to analyze Shirou's ability. "We really need more information to dig deeper into this. Too bad, we can't just let Berserker take another swing at you again. Saber would certainly have my head for that."

"Still, I learned a lot from you today. Thank you, Tohsaka." Shirou paid no mind to her cruel joke and lowered his head a little to show his gratitude.

"You don't have to take it personally. I'm just fulfilling my end of the bargain."

"Well, that might be the case, but you are really good at teaching…Has anyone told you before? You would make a really good teacher in the future, teaching magic maybe."

"I-idiot, you can't talk to other Masters like that when we still don't know if any of us will survive to the end. Besides, if I were to be the one who survived, you might very well have been killed by then."

"I know, I know," Shirou replied half-jokingly. Surely, there was horrid slice of truth within their exchange, but he wasn't quite ready to acknowledge it yet.

Tohsaka Rin was his ally. In fact, he was willing to go as far as calling her a friend and he intended to maintain that relationship for as long as the harsh reality of the war would allow.

"Both of us should retire for the night. I have a feeling that Saber would come demanding your release, if I were to continue to detain you with my lesson."

"…Right, this should be enough for tonight. My brain is starting to feel overloaded….And, yeah, I shouldn't keep Saber waiting," Shirou nodded in agreement.

Perhaps it was somewhat of an exaggeration that Saber would actually resort to such a drastic approach, but, considering how easy it was for him to picture the scenario, Shirou knew he shouldn't test his luck.

"I'll be heading back then. Thanks again and good night."

"Sleep tight, Emiya-kun…but remember to keep one eye open. There's an Assassin in this war for a reason."

"…Um, yeah." Shirou responded halfheartedly.

With Saber breathing down the back of his neck in the futon, Assassin was the last of his worries. But, of course, there simply wasn't any way he could say that to Rin without being teased to death. Besides, things would truly be complicated if Sakura manage to catch wind of the matter.

Thus, he decided to silently savor the fact that there was someone eagerly waiting his return.

…_And in my bedroom, no less…_

_Wait, wait, wait! That really sounds wrong…_

Blood rushed to Shirou's face as his imagination wandered. Being an adolescent and being in the same futon with girl was not a good combination.

_Evil thought be gone…Evil thought be gone_…

"Emiya-kun, is something matter? Your face is getting red…"

"No! It's nothing! See you then, Tohsaka!" Snapped back into the real world, Emiya Shirou rushed out of the room like a whirlwind.

Forgetting every need for secrecy, he wouldn't stop until he had reached his safe haven.

No matter what he had said about it, at the end of the day, it was a fact that Emiya Shirou was starting to welcome Saber's presence in his bedroom with open arms.

Funny that he was starting to feel this way when it wasn't so long ago that he left her with no option but to barge in.

Now, the main bedroom wouldn't just be the same without Saber around.

With her softness nuzzling his back and her warmth seeping to his hand, Shirou found that particular setting to be the only solace from his hectic days.

….Of course, hearing a soft "Good morning, Shirou." first thing in the morning was a nice bonus to it all.

* * *

I'll try to speed up the next chapter. Meanwhile, rate and review please!


	17. Entrapped

**Chapter**** 17: Entrapped**

**Homurahara High School (10.15 AM)**

A few days went by without notable incident, save for the fact that Shirou and Rin had resumed their investigation of the force field under the pretense of normal school life.

Their progress, however, was slow, despite their best effort. The information they had to work with was much too vague for any definite conclusion to be drawn.

While they could no longer detect any traces of magic activity in the area, it was difficult, if not impossible, to judge whether the magic circles had disappeared with Shinji's death or were hidden so well by the real Master that their presence eluded all detections. They, after all, were searching for something that might not even exist, but at the same time was placed so that it could be strategically hidden.

In this type of circumstance, every shred of relief gained from finding a magic circle absent from the previous location was soon trumped by the worry that they were not being perceptive enough. As such, both of them quickly found that their own fear and anxiety had been turned into their worst nemesis, draining their mental strength at an alarming rate.

It was apparent that their search could not continue forever. A line would have to be drawn somewhere. The main question, however, was how and when. What criteria could they use to deem that the area was safe and to allow their attention to be turned toward the other Masters? Perhaps when they had spent enough time or perhaps when they had persisted until they would stumble upon any unattended magic circle?

With neither of these guidelines apparent, both Shirou and Rin were given no options but to search blindly for any potential hiding spots.

Another unfruitful attempt and Shirou was left collapsed on a wooden bench as their morning break was approaching its end. While his physical strain was not notable, the strain on his mind great. His mind was heavily weighted down by the uneasy realization that the lives of everyone in the school might very well be resting upon his and Rin's shoulder, a realization made worse by the fact that their investigation seemed to proceed at an undeniably sluggish pace.

There simply wasn't sufficient time to conduct a thorough search with just a few of hours to loiter around the school without raising suspicion.

"That should be it for this morning, Emiya-kun. If you don't mind, I will head back to the classroom first." With no apparent sign of distress, Rin promptly left after looking at her watch. There was still enough time for her to arrive at the classroom before their next class would start.

_As impeccable as ever with that model student façade, I see…_

If there was one thing Shirou admired about her, it was definitely her composure, ever calm and collected even before a looming crisis.

He, on the other hand, was feeling totally pathetic in comparison, but, savoring the warmth of the bench he rested upon, he quickly came to the conclusion that a few minutes of tardiness could very well be excused by the ordeal they were facing.

While the sun was weak with approaching winter, the bench had gathered sufficient heat to provide a welcoming contrast to the chilly October air. Soon enough, his few minutes turned into five and eventually to ten, yet he showed no sign of extracting himself from the bench. He needed that rest to at least cope with all the pent-up stress that seemed to be accumulating daily.

Still, all its stressful aspects aside, there was still one apparent upside of spending his time beyond the vicinity of the Emiya household, or, more specifically, somewhere beyond the reach of one of its dwellers. In all honesty, just spending the day away from the Burier in question contributed much to uplifting his mood from the ditch that it had fallen into for the last few days.

When Shirou thought of all the conflicts he'd with Samael in the last few days, it was only natural that it could produce such a profound effect on him. Their opinions diverged on even the simplest of matters and, with both sides trying to enforce their ideas on the other, it was needless to say that the sight of arguments between them was common.

He didn't have to go far to justify that claim. Even the decision to allow Sakura to live with them had been subject to a bout of heated debate before a conclusion could be reached.

Even after an hour of arguing with much anger from both sides, it was only through the loss of Abel as his support that Samael was forced to a reluctant concession.

For a reason he couldn't fathom, the youthful Burier seemed to share his enthusiasm in welcoming Sakura to stay and thus had turned against Samael in deciding this matter. Without this unexpected windfall to tip the scale in his favor, Shirou was certain that the matter would simply drag on with neither side yielding to the other.

The recent defeat seemed to have mellowed Samael's opposing stance somewhat. By the time that the Burier had heard of his plan regarding the force field, any sign of protest already seemed to have dwindled. Perhaps, Samael had finally come to an understand the insurmountable odds in bending Shirou to his will.

Nevertheless, the ease in which the man in question conceded surprised even Shirou. Like before, he was half expecting Samael to start a campaign to convince the others that chaining him to the house was their best course of action to take, especially when faced with the news that Shirou had decided to continue attending school for further investigation of the force field…with only minimal protection, one might add.

Being as inexperienced as a magus, Shirou lacked the skill required to allow Saber to discretely follow him in her spirit form. At the same time, allowing her to tag along physically wasn't plausible as an option either.

He shuddered to think of the names and jests he would receive if his peers happened to come across this girl who addressed him on a first name basis. While she said his name with no deeper intention, the manner in which she did was perfectly liable to cause misunderstanding, even more so with her being such a beauty. Worse still, the attraction that she could garner would turn upon him the eyes of every Master that could have been present at school.

While the possibility was slim, Shirou would rather not take any chances, like he did with Shinji. In case things turned amiss, he would be left with only the goodwill from Rin and Archer as his sole protection.

However, in uncharacteristic disregard of the risk Shirou was about to take, the only response that could be coaxed from Samael was a dissatisfied grunt of acknowledgement. Without any pause, the Burier then waved his hand to the side as if to shoo Shirou away.

Feeling the same way, Shirou took no offense to the blatant lack of manners in which he was dismissed. This outcome was much more favorable for both of them than having another bout of heated arguments right before dinner.

Enjoying the thought and his newfound freedom, Shirou's eyelids drooped downward. While not being one so fond of truancy, the strain that he had taken in the last few days was taking its toll on his mind.

_You've got some nerve trying to skip my class, young man! _

The face of screaming Taiga slipped into Shirou's conscience just before everything faded to black.

_Hell, I'll just deal with it later._

The nuisance was promptly disregarded before the prospect of resting. Taking a rest was the much more alluring choice of the two.

But just as his eyes closed completely…

"Apologies, but could you lead us to the faculty office?"

Shirou immediately sprang to his feet at the foreign voice. There was no worse shame than being caught cutting class by a visitor and ending up spoiling his impression of the school.

"Ahh, yes, immediately! Please follo…" Shirou's words became stuck in his throat once his vision gradually focused.

The two men that stood before him were not in any way strangers. The fact that they'd chosen to don a more formal attire than usual did initially threw him off, but not so much that he would actually fail at recognition. With no more formality to be reserved, he addressed the two curtly.

"…You two….What do you want here?"

The cause for Shirou's annoyance shouldn't be hard to picture, as the two that stood before him were Samael and a clearly nervous Abel.

"Do you realize that this is hardly a place for two outsiders to be walking around?"

"Of course, but it definitely is as good a place as any for a guardian to enroll his child to decent schooling." Samael grinned jeeringly. If Shirou wouldn't bend to his will then he would just find an alternate route to impose it.

"…You don't mean?"

"That is correct. From today onward, there will be one more student in your class. Do take good care of him…Actually, it should be the opposite. He will take good care of you."

"…Seriously, haven't you thought about this one bit? There's no way this is a good idea." Shirou voiced his opinion with a mixture of weariness and annoyance in his tone. He knew changing Samael's mind wasn't easy, as stubbornness seemed to be the only trait that the two men shared, but hoping for another stroke of luck wouldn't hurt.

"Hey, perhaps, Emiya-san is right. I mean, a new student enrolling at this time would suspicious after all."

"That concern of yours would only become valid if the assumption that there are still Masters residing in the school holds true. Even more so, there is no reason for the hypothetical Master to suspect one without magic circuits such as yourself. In all regards, I consider the immediate outcome of protecting our target to outweigh the risks."

Face with the flood of Samael's counter argument, Abel quieted down.

"You two do realize that there are procedures in enrolling, right? You can't just come here and state your intention to study." It was subtle, but the manner in which he spoke indicate hostility.

"As a matter of fact, most of the prior processes have been completed, two days prior to be precise. All that remains is to register his name into the school record and talk out some remaining…formalities. On that note, we should return to the initial request. Would you please kindly guide us to the faculty office?"

"You can find the way by yourself. That's why we put up signs for visitors… I have to go to class."

Although being uncharacteristically unhelpful, Shirou would rather not, for any reason, spend more time than necessary near Samael. With this thought in mind, the alternative of hastening his inevitable meeting with the enraged Tiger seemed much more favorable in comparison.

Watching Shirou speeded away, Samael's smirk grew even wider to gloat over his small victory.

"…Ahh, kids these day."

**Homurahara High School (11.55 AM)**

Abel tensely observed his surroundings after Samael had disappeared into the faculty office to deal with the remaining procedures. For him, who never had the chance to properly experience a normal school life, the atmosphere was nothing short of threatening.

Undecorated halls of white stretched from one end of the building to the other, reflecting the glare of sunlight to his eyes. Only the greenish hue of the bulletin boards added color to the overall blandness, but even that wasn't much help as sunlight had added a pale tint to them.

Feeling as if he was an intruder in this foreign land, the silence of the hallway was almost unnerving. Restless, Abel somberly paced around the entrance to the faculty office as if it was a door to an alternate dimension.

The fear of exposing himself to embarrassment had kept him from turning the knob and simply barging into the room, but neither was he brave enough to risk incurring Samael's wrath by wandering elsewhere.

As such, Abel was stuck in this dilemma. While contemplating each option, his situation was rapidly worsened by a certain development.

A shrill blaring noise startled Abel as it erupted from the electronic device above, announcing the arrival of the long-awaited lunch break. While the noise level was hardly of note for those in the classrooms, it was quite different to be standing directly beneath one. Clasping his ears shut, Abel moved away from the obnoxious device, but that was only the start of his troubles.

Immediately following the bell, there was the sliding of classroom doors and the shuffling of students that rushed to the cafeteria, some alone, some in clusters.

Noticing a lone stranger before the faculty office, they were taken by curiosity to take a glance at the visitor, whose status was clearly indicated by his absence of uniform. Their attempts were without the slightest intention of being discrete or, at the very least, tactful, with numerous heads craning backward to allow their gaze to linger even after they walked past.

This development was to be expected. After all, he was probably the first Caucasian with the intention to attend the school in this more obscure Japanese city. Having a somewhat better-than-average looks didn't help either.

Being inept at handling himself in the crowd to start with, Abel was completely paralyzed after finding how he quickly became the center of attention of the passing students.

Anxiety tightened his lips. His pulse quickened to an erratic tempo. In the end, the sight of students turning to gossip among themselves after sneaking a glance of him finally pushed Abel's nervousness beyond breaking point.

As it was impossible for him to know the talk topic that they could've addressed using him as a subject, Abel felt as if he was being violated with no means to resist. He then snapped his head his head away from the last group of girl that turned to giggle among themselves after sneaking a glance of him and started his mad dash away from the corridor.

Brushing and bumping into a few persons, Abel didn't stop even after he'd exited the building. The number of students that were flocking into the courtyard prevented it from becoming a plausible stop for him.

Although he had no clear destination in sight, he eventually did find a largely abandoned corner of the school building after he's decided to circle to the other side. Abel slowed his footsteps to a tread, stopped before a bench, and plopped down on it in exhaustion.

…_Just my first day and things_ _are already this bad. Just how did Samael me to protect Emiya-san in this place_? Abel thought with a touch of annoyance, but the distant chirping of birds soon calmed his temper and compelled him to instead observe his surroundings.

The lawn was tucked into the side of the school building, where student visitors seem to be sparse. Perhaps the serenity that it offered was not to the liking of most of the modern day youth, who seemed to prefer the rowdiness of crowds as their company. Abel, on the other hand, would very much rather indulge in the nature and silence that it offered.

Despite enjoying the peace and quiet of his surroundings, there was still a certain sight that pricked Abel's mind and rendered complete indulgence beyond his grasp.

Amidst his observation, Abel's sight caught the lone figure of Matou Sakura on another bench to the side. While they were acquainted at a formal level at best, recognizing her presence was easy with the violet hue in her hair being such a dead giveaway.

The girl sat alone in this otherwise busy lunch break. Her downcast glance drifted blankly along the ground. That was enough reason to stir a sense of guilt within him.

While it was less his fault and more the fact that Shirou had been spending time with Rin that accounted for Sakura's condition, Abel was the sort of person that was quick to pin every complication as his responsibility. Thus, he gingerly approached her.

"Um…uh, excuse me."

While he was a complete mess in a crowded area, Abel wasn't quite a cluster of nervous wreck when it comes to interacting with a limited number of people. That way, he could still ensure his own safety in a talk by backing away whenever the slightest sign of being threatened would arise.

"…Uh, yes…oh." Being broken out of her reverie, Sakura turned to toward him. The surprise on her face didn't recede even after she recognized him. After all, this was a strange setting that he chose to appear in.

"Umm…hi….I-I'm going to be a student here for the time being so…" Abel timidly offered his explanation, although it didn't seem to satisfy her curiosity.

"…Oh, I-I see"

Silence dropped down between them as Abel clumsily fumbled for the topic he wanted to address. While he already had it planned in mind before approaching Sakura, nervousness had bundled his ideas into little more than a tangled mess. After a short moment to sort out his thoughts, Abel continued.

"Umm…You see, about what I said the day before, about Emiya-san, I mean. I'm sorry if it didn't make you feel any better."

Sakura gave him a puzzled look. After a while, she managed to grasp on to what Abel was talking about. "O-Oh…It's not really bothering me anymore, really…You did say you will do your best."

"…I-It's fine. You don't have to try to make me feel better." Feeling more pathetic than ever now that he was on the side being consoled, Abel averted his gaze from her in shame. "I realized that I did a pretty poor job in giving you a good picture of the situation…So, well, here goes."

Sakura lifted her gaze from the pan as she turned her attention to his explanation, although her gesture seemed to be done out of formality rather than any expectation that her worry could be soothed by his words.

"So...when I said that there we've come here to protect Emiya-san, it doesn't mean that there are only the two of us. I mean there are still a lot of people like us that will help, so you don't really have to worry something will happen to him."

Contrary to what he'd expected, his words set a cloud of worry and determination, instead of relief, on Sakura's face. When it came to her beloved Senpai, it would appear that Sakura had shed her timid cocoon off and turned even more aggressive than Abel himself could imagine. Her response was filled with directness and clarity he had yet to see from her in any other circumstances.

"For so many people to be spared for his protection, does it means that this danger you talk about is very serious then?"

Abel bit his tongue to stifle a curse when he realized that she'd taken an alternate interpretation to his earlier explanation. It was then that he finally concluded that truth alone wouldn't suffice in soothing her worry.

"I-I-It's not like that. Well, I-I mean it's just for precaution, Y-Yeah just for precaution."

Abel was not fond of lying. His disdain of the act was so strong that telltale signs could never be hidden from his demeanor whenever he would tell lie. However, since the initial part of their conversation had trapped them in a nervous spell that caused much stuttering on both sides, Sakura was unable to discern this difference.

"Is that really true?" Her eyes hinted suspicion, but the fear of offending him kept it from affecting the tone of her voice.

It sure wasn't easy to make changes to one's prior words without making it appear like an excuse, but Abel persisted. "Y-Yes, of c-course. I-I mean it might be a false alarm."

"Does that mean that Senpai might not be in any danger after all?"

"Uhh, well, that is a…a…a likely outcome. I-I mean even if it is not, S-Samael and I are here… and-and we will…uh… I mean it will be the end of the world if something happens to him. Ah!" Abel immediately clasped both hands over his mouth just as he was struck with the realization that the utmost secret of their mission was just carelessly blurted out. "Uhh...I mean…Uh."

The flustered look on Sakura's face further disheartened him, but, being stuck on words, Abel could offer no further amendment.

"…I-I-I'm sorry but what you said is just…well, sound…um…uh." For a moment, Sakura seemed to be contemplating whether to use a certain word , but after finding no alternatives she meekly uttered it in the tiniest voice possible. "…exaggerated."

"Uhh, ha…ha…well, I guess it sounds like that, but-but I mean everything I said before that is true." The word "true" gave another hard pinch to his conscience. Abel could barely hide his discomfort with a smile as he pushed on. "W-Well, you can believe me on this one."

Sakura gave no reply but some shred of skepticism still remained. It would seem that another push was necessary.

Conveniently, that was when Abel ran out of patience. If he was committing a sin by lying, he might as well do it all the way to at least complete his objective.

"R-Really, this time, really."

She continued to observe his demeanor for a few seconds. The determination that replaced his stutter added weight to his lie. Eventually the doubt in her eyes receded and she let out a smile. "Uhh…Yes, thank you for trying to make me feel better."

Although she gave no absolute verdict in regard to the truth of his words, Abel's heart was uplifted by the fact that much tension had mellowed out from her face. Perhaps it was because she truly believed him, or that she was merely consoled by the effort that he put forth, but Abel was satisfied.

With the objective of his personal mission accomplished, Abel soon forgot the thorn that prickled his conscience. Once again, her smile proved to be a much more worthy exchange.

Not wanting the conversation between them to die out, but with no more topics to address, Abel then bashfully turned to his side.

_...At least with her here the school might not be as bad as I thought. I wonder how things are going on Samael's side…Oh…Crap._

Just as his thoughts wandered, Abel came to a certain realization that an extremely pissed-off Samael must be waiting for his return at the faculty office. That was more than enough reason for him to bid hasty good-bye to Sakura.

"Umm…Sakura-san…you see…Sakura-san?" Abel was somewhat taken aback by her utter lack of response. Normally, she would immediately turn to him when spoken to. "Emm, excuse me, Sakura-san…Sakura-san?"

Instead of the reply Abel was looking for, there was a bloodcurdling shriek, one that seemed convey a sense of sheer terror from the very core of her soul.

The terror that her voice contained appeared to be contagious as it also invoked a chill running through Abel's spine. Even with both his ears clasped shut, the shrill noise still penetrated through the layer of protection and struck his eardrums.

Then, as if she had expended all of her energy with the scream, Sakura collapsed onto the pavement below.

"Sakura-san, are you alright? Sakura-san?" Abel immediately came to her aid, although he dared not lift her body off the ground, despite a compelling urge to do so. The first and foremost rule he had learned dealing with an injured person was to not carelessly move them and risk worsening their condition unless there was danger in close proximity.

Abiding by this rule, Abel kneeled down to inspect her symptoms…

…A single glance upon her face convinced him that the situation might indeed prove to be too much for him alone to handle.

While Sakura seemed to show no signs of injury or sickness, all signs of life seemed to have been sucked out of her body. Her violet eyes were wide-open. Alas, they were dull and glazed over. Her skin had turned dead cold and her joints had grown stiff as if the she had been turned into a human doll.

Forgetting to even consider how the others would view him in such a bizarre situation, Abel craned his head up in panic. His gaze darted left and right, searching for anyone nearby who could lead him to the nurse's office.

The realization that hit him after a few seconds of glancing around replaced a temporary embarrassment with the sense of a immediate danger.

It was no longer the safe ground of the school that they were residing upon. During the few second in which his attention had been focused on Sakura, the entire lay of land was transformed.

Abel berated himself for not realizing this change until it was too late for any escape attempt to be made.

In a manner so subversive, befitting a sly predator, the entire school was transformed in a killing field.

**Homurahara School** **Gate (12.12PM)**

Away from the clutch of the force field, two figures gazed at the landscape that used to be their school in disbelief. One was on her feet, the other collapsed to the ground, both unable to believe the sheer luck that had kept them safe from this devilish jaw that had swallowed the school whole.

"It would seem that your senses are as keen as ever, Emiya-kun," Rin remarked dolefully as she gazed over the rippling layers of the magic field that hid the entirety of the school with a single gluttonous bite.

Her voice was strained. It was rather unusual for her to show the insecurity that she had been bottling up inside, unwittingly or not, but then again actually seeing a functioning force field was so very different from seeing it in theory.

She turned to glance at Shirou, who still lacked the strength to extract himself from the ground, though she wasn't about to complain. If was not for the extreme nausea and dizziness he'd experienced just a few minutes before the activation of the force field, they too would have been trapped inside.

Trusting him was the right call. Those symptoms of his were not just any bodily ailment. They constituted a warning sign, one that even exceeded her scope of detection as a magus.

Never before was she so glad to have established a temporary partnership with him. Otherwise, she would have paid no mind towards Shirou, who was supporting himself with the handrail and voicing their need to make an immediate escape through his gritted teeth. From that assumption onward, it was very likely that she too would have joined those unfortunate souls who couldn't make it out in time.

The issue of her pride aside, Rin honestly admitted that she could not even feel even the slightest warning until the last moment before the activation. The force field was so subtle with its activity that it could even fool an experienced magus such as herself, not without his very unique assistance, of course.

Still, something didn't quite add up. Shirou's ability to sense mana was crude at best, thus it was simply improbable to think that he could actually be more perceptive in this matter.

"Emiya-kun, how did you know the force field was about to be activated? It's a little difficult to believe that this is all just a coincidence."

"….I don't…If I knew I would have tried to warn other people…I just felt that something was not right with that whole area, so I thought there were other Masters."

"With the area?"

"Yeah…it's hard to explain…like this whole place is turning sinister…More importantly, we have to help the people inside."

"Relax, Emiya-kun, I'm already on it. Just don't go trying to ram down the force field."

Satisfied with her visual observation, Rin gingerly approached the outermost layer of the force field with one hand raised, but decided against it in the last second and jerked her hand away.

Lacking any knowledge of the manner in which the field operated, the risk of direct contact was too great. Getting stuck or, even worse, sucked in would indeed worsen their situation by far.

Hence, a better method of testing would have to be adopted.

Magic energy was gathered and discharged from her index finger in bolts after bolts, but managed to inflict no more damage than a BB gun would to a tank. Technically, the toy would have fared even better in this context. At least, tank armor could only deflect, not absorb and reinforce itself with the plastic pellets.

Apparently, as a conventional magic attack was ineffective and physical attack was too risky to be an option in the first place, they had no effective means of destroying the force field from the outside.

"This is going to be troublesome…It's a pity, but we can't seem to break the field with brute force alone." Certainly, she could ask Archer to use his Noble Phantasm, but even then their chance of success was unlikely. Besides, his energy was better saved for the soon-to-come ordeal.

"…Then what now? We can't just leave all of them in there!" Shirou declared and trudged toward the field. "At least, we have to try something!"

"I'm not saying that we should give up, but first you need to calm down!" Apparently agitated by the turn of events herself, Rin snapped harshly at Shirou's thoughtlessness. "Besides, what exactly are you going to try? You're not making it any better for them by throwing your life away."

Her question brought Shirou's feet came to a halt. He didn't like to admit it but she had a point. What did he intend to do when he reached the field when wrestling it into submission was clearly not possible?

Shirou clenched his teeth angrily. Once again, despite numerous warnings, he had allowed himself to be lost in the spur of the moment. But, to be fair, it would only take the most heartless of men to face this situation with total indifference. Being forced to a standstill only worsened the offense it had taken against him.

"…Emiya-kun, listen to me. It isn't as if we're out of options. There's still something that we can do."

"What? Tell me!"

"As I said, you have to calm down!" To counter his outburst, Rin had to resort to a scream, allowing her to continue calmly as he backed away. "…Remember I said that you'll be grateful for that little fiddling I did in the Matou House? The magic I left there works itself like a sensor to detect magic activity."

"What did you find then?"

"A very well concealed magic signal left the house in the direction of the force field, a little too convenient to be coincidence, don't you think? Besides, it is apparent that the user was trying to conceal her location. The signal was dispersed into small undetectable strings of command once they left the vicinity of the house then combined to form a complete signal just before the force field. Without that sensor, detection would be nearly impossible," Rin mumbled on as she tried to make sense of the situation, losing Shirou in the process.

…Although one key fact didn't seem to elude him.

"Wait a second…Matou house? So does that mean?"

"Glad you're finally seeing things my way, Emiya-kun. Yes, it's probably what you're thinking."

"No, no, wait, but it can't be Sakura. She was there just before we left." Realizing what he'd implied, Shirou immediately turned to Sakura's defense. "…She was still inside that force field… If she was the culprit, she wouldn't just trap himself like that."

"Maybe, but, from a different perspective, staying in the force field is the best way to stay safe from the other Masters. Besides, the fact that there is no outflow of magic energy from the force field also made it more likely that the perpetrator is collecting energy from inside."

Rin was about to continue when she noticed Shirou's glare.

"… Fine, I'm not saying that it's definitely her either, but if you would force me to guess, her name would be the first that I chose. Either way, we'll know once we get there…And, here, take this…" Rin pressed a tiny jewel into Shirou's palm. "…So that we can remain in contact. Hopefully, you still can remember how to use it."

"Of course, just hold it in my hand, focus my thought, and let the jewel do the rest. In any case, I'll meet up with Saber and get there as soon as I can."

Shirou didn't wait for her reply before heading off toward the direction of the Emiya Household. Adrenaline bestowed him a gift of speed, but it would take many more minutes before he could reach their destination.

While using numerical superiority would have increased the odds in their favor, Rin was unwilling to wait for Shirou for a joint assault. Quite frankly, that few minutes of wait might very well end up being the deciding factor for many lives, but, more important than anything, she was confident in their abilities, both her and Archer's.

The situation had called for the perpetrator to be taken down with utmost haste and Rin wasn't about to leave any scrap of him on the table for Shirou.

"Let's go, Archer. We will end this before Emiya-kun and Saber arrive."

"Of course, Rin, we'll go with whatever you say."

The gravity of the situation erased the goofy grin from Archer's face, but he didn't quite tense as much as Rin had expected. Then again, perhaps maintaining one's composure even in situations where human lives were at stake was one requirement to being a Heroic Spirit.

Since Archer had never revealed his past, she could only glean hints from his demeanor as to the number of occasions in which he was forced to operate under such an overwhelming pressure.

For Rin, just once was more than enough.

Feeling his right arm stretched across her slender back for support, Rin braced for the impact as Archer leapt to the nearest rooftop. Recounting the route, Archer made a rough calculation.

"Five minutes and we'll be knocking upon their door…Then again, knocking down, more like."

"Make it in three. Every minute is precious."

"Demanding as ever...just hang on tight and do your best not to fall."

"Hey, do-"

As Archer picked up speed, the wind rushed that into Rin's face interrupted her retort. With no time to pay any heed to secrecy, Archer changed his route from jumping across rooftops to simply dashing across the street below.

Without only the shallowest knowledge about the field, all that Rin could do was to assume the worst, in which case casualties from the field would be likely.

This unpleasant realization had turned their upcoming raid of the Matou House into a race against the clock. As far as she knew, those who were trapped might very well be dying with each passing second.

….

Despite all the solid evidences that pointed to this conclusion, Rin's insides were being torn asunder beneath her façade.

Ten years was a long time of separation, enough for someone to change or be changed completely. Just what terror was Sakura subjected to that could drive a girl so innocent to employ a strategy so vile?

Rin cursed her indecision. Perhaps things wouldn't have taken such a deep plunge into chaos, if she'd only made up her mind to rescue Sakura from her captor.

But, even as her heart was filled with pity, she knew there was but one course of action for her to follow. In all circumstances regarding magic, she was expected to carry herself in a manner befitting a magus above all other roles, a sister included, and massacring the entire student body was not a crime forgivable even by magus' considerably looser standards of morality.

Her rational mind already accepted the outcome, but whether she would find the strength to do so was a different story.

...She could only pray that she would.

**Homurahara High School (12.14PM)**

The sky was hidden by a pulsating membrane of red and violet. The earth was dyed into the crimson hue of blood. The current sight would make one imagine that the whole strip of land itself had been swallowed whole into the maw of a ravenous beast.

Still, there seemed to be more truth to the analogy than a mere figurative expression of the scene that lay before Abel's eyes. It was hardly his first experience with a force field, but this one bested all that he'd heard of by far. Unlike those that were only designed to entrap and consume living beings, the current force field seemed to entrap a portion of the world itself.

As if to confirm Abel's suspicions, the whole landscape was being broken down. Humans, plants, and even the school buildings were being digested to sate the field of its hunger.

Recounting his past experience, Abel quickly found a matching memory to infer the manner in which the field functioned. It was one that he wished to be forgotten, but, nevertheless, proved to be a crucial source of information in this perilous hour.

This certain type of force field was constructed with a severe deficiency of mana as its root, thus the reason why it had to take such a vigorous approach to fill this unnatural shortage. The easiest way to do so was to break down the odo that formed every tangible substance back to its energy form of mana.

However, this process also came with a hefty cost. To release the magic inside, every existence that used to contain it would have to be extinguished, erased completely giving no means for the victims to be healed or restored once digested.

Nonetheless, it was an approach that far exceeded others in maximizing mana output.

As was written in the natural law of the world, mana was governed by a very strong tendency to rejoin the natural flow once it was released into the surroundings, thus the magi would have to store them in magic circuits or mystic codes.

The alternative of directly consuming souls would allow much of the energy to spill over and return to the flow, no matter how hasty one could be in the matter. On the other hand, the force field isolated all that it caught into a closed system and, in a manner akin to a reality marble, rewriting the natural law with one of its own.

In this sense, the mana could not return to the flow even if a part of the world itself was being deconstructed. The full amount could then be easily funneled to the user at a nearly-hundred-percent efficiency.

While the phenomenon sounded rather straightforward in theory, it was exceedingly difficult to recreate in the real world. The system that made up the phantasm itself must be exceedingly complex to allow for the decomposition of every type of material to occur, so much so that a human's delicate mind wouldn't have what it took to formulate each and combine all of them into a single system.

It was a work of a devil, nothing short of that. The field would start by sucking out the magic energy of every single entity caught, no matter how slight. Once the pool of their magic energy was depleted, it would then move on to deconstructing their physical forms. The odo that made up their very existence would then be broken into mana in a manner pretty much similar to squeezing the juicy liquid from a succulent fruit.

By the time that the entire process reached its completion, the whole area would be reduced to nothing but a gaping void on the ground.

While the breaking of the victim's physical body wouldn't happen until the mana particles in the atmosphere were depleted, Abel knew that he must act quickly. The field was a blow that struck his Achilles heel. Having no magic circuit of his own, Abel wouldn't last much longer in a force field than an ordinary man. That was to say his clock was ticking away by the seconds.

If he had any energy to spare, Abel would have grumbled at his luck that the area with strongest absorption was directly where he was standing. Having none, his first instinct was to escape from the epicenter with all haste, but, before he could take the first step backward, his thought dwelt on a certain girl that lay lifelessly on the ground.

He had to move her elsewhere. A normal human would take even shorter to perish in the field.

There was no time to waste.

He bent down and attempted to maintain a grip upon the less provocative areas of her body, but was hit with a nasty surprise when he did so.

"Uwahh!"

Abel jerked his arms back as a pang of mind-numbing pain rushed through them. The sensation was akin to feeling one's flesh melted away in a bowl of acid.

When he looked down, Abel saw a fresh layer of raw and bleeding red as if the entire strip of skin that lined his palms had been torn away.

It took much longer for his addled brain to process the implication of the situation at hand, but, when he did, Abel could only wonder how he could be so blind. It just took a single glance at the movement of mana particles in the area to reach the conclusion.

It wasn't that they were standing in the epicenter of the force field.

The girl, Sakura, was the epicenter.

Stray mana was drawn to her in huge quantities, being so concentrated that it became visible to naked eyes. These translucent lines of mana pathways ran across the sky, branching toward her body from every direction.

For reasons unknown, her body began taking in an unnatural amount of mana. Soon it exceeded even the amount that would have bloated the magic circuit of many skilled magi to the verge of an overload, yet she showed no sign of slowing down.

Thus, his wounded hand could be explained easily enough. Part of the odo that formed his palm was deconstructed to feed Sakura's thirst for mana, effectively eating away his flesh.

The situation that had unfolded before him brought Abel to another realization. Sakura was a magus and a very skilled one at that, but even so the most compelling piece evidence to piece this scenario together was missing.

On her left forearm, Abel could find nothing that even remotely resembled a command spell, ruling out the possibility that she was the Master who planned this attack.

…It would have been much easier if she was the one, in which case striking her down would be the easiest option, but striking down an innocent was not something he could condone. Besides, he had no confidence that his dagger or his attack spell would be able to penetrate such a strong current of magic that surrounded her.

Either way, Abel had no luxury of time of be investigating this matter. Surviving and rescuing survivors should be his top priority.

Abel's gaze trailed downward and traced over Sakura's motionless form over the dusty pavement and, for a moment, he yearned to break her out of the field's control. However, he knew that it was no more than an improbable wish. The backlash of extracting her from the system would kill him outright, while not giving any guarantee that she would be brought to safety.

The risk was far too high.

Pushing aside a sharp pang of guilt, Abel then turned to the opposite direction and left her to search for Samael.

As a team they were adept in breaking through force fields, but each of them only held half the key to achieve this goal. With Abel's mana radar to search for a weak spot in the force field and Samael's death touch to destroy the entire structure, any force field that crossed them was doomed to fall.

Muttering a quick incantation, Abel commanded the surrounding mana to gather and solidify in the form of wings on his back. Alas, his mind was too numb to command even a single flap.

_No…good…my…wings_

…_..._

…_._

_I…have…to…walk_

Forcing himself even to lift a single foot off the ground, Abel proceeded forward at a sluggish pace. Nevertheless, the choice was for the better.

It wasn't long before only a brittle frame of the majestic pair remained. If Abel happened to have the strength to fly, he could very well be plummeting to his death in that very moment.

The threat was not in any way an exaggeration as there was not nearly enough mana in the current atmosphere to construct to a cushion of sufficient size to break his fall.

Still, Abel didn't fare much better with the alternative. Every second spent in the malicious field stripped away his strength and made his head grow increasingly hazy.

The feeling of urgency soon melted away, replaced by the dull and dreary fog that settled in his mind.

It was the usual process of mana depletion. First, came the extreme fatigue, followed closely by blurry mind and headache. Soon enough, if the depletion would continue, the fatigue would eventually lull one into a deep sleep to regenerate the lost energy, but, in this case, Abel knew it would a sleep he would never wake from.

Alas, it wasn't one that he could resist either.

While the harsh daily regimen at the Burial Agency had made Abel more capable than most when it comes to enduring mana depletion through the sheer force of will, his limit was approaching dangerously fast.

The scenery was dyed with a dark tint as darkness set in from his drooping eyelids.

After the last moment of futile struggle, he resigned himself to the overwhelming darkness, ceasing the last function of his mind.

Then, all that remained was a dream-like sensation of floating.

* * *

Hope you enjoy this chapter and, as always, reviews are very welcomed.


	18. The Serpent's Lair

**Chapter 18: The Serpent's Lair**

**Matou Residence (12.16 AM)**

Archer swooped down in front of the Matou residence and skidded to a stop just a few meters before the front gate, a few seconds late from Rin's rather unreasonable demand, but even that was an accomplishment in itself.

He could have taken her inside, but the residence seemed to have gone through a significant change since they'd last seen it a few days prior.

"A barrier…" Roughly estimating its strength, Archer cycled through the list of his weapons that could best it. "…Move back for a second. I'll take care of it."

"It's alright, Archer. There is no need for your concern."

"Hasty as always..." Seeing that Rin had already armed herself with several gems, Archer came to the conclusion that it was wisest for him to back down.

An incantation and a blast of magic energy later, a gaping hole was left in the barrier, wide enough for two people to stride through. In fact, even after it had bested the house barrier, her magic still contained enough power to tear through both the gate and the front of the residence itself.

With all other interferences and booby traps blown away, the smoldering cavity offered them a safe passage to the interior.

"Do tell, how would you intend to search for a secret entrance with all this rubble? Since nothing seemed amiss during our last visit, we could only assume that the Master is hiding in the vicinity."

"The signal sent to the force field would naturally exit from where there is the least resistance, in other words the entrance. As long as we're following its trail, we'll eventually find it. Worst case, I'll rely on you to clear the rubble."

"Last time I checked, I signed up to be your sword not your slave…"

"…Quit complaining and get to it." Deeming that Archer wasn't taking his work seriously enough, Rin sent him a glare. "Still, things wouldn't have become this complicated, if I had only checked for a hidden room during our last visit. I really was being careless."

It was a common knowledge that magus' dwelling often held deeper secrets than what could be gleaned at a face value. Real magic, by its very nature, was not made to be displayed to the public eyes, but only with utmost secrecy that a magus can afford. Often, a separate compartment would have to be attached to the obscure part of the building as to accommodate this need.

After all, it wouldn't look so good for their visitors to be exposed to a clutter of magic items or bloodstains on the ground, in case the magi happened to have a need for those more primitive rituals.

Tohsaka Rin was no stranger to this fact. There was one such room even within her own dwelling. Aside from the fact that she frequented the place before the war, it was also the very room that she had used to summon Archer.

In this sense, it wasn't difficult to imagine why she was so displeased by her carelessness.

Tapping her right foot on one of the black marble tiles that lined the floor of the hallway, a satisfied smile crept to Rin's face. It might be difficult to make amend of all the damage the field would caused, but the mistake could soon be rectified.

"Found it." The tapping sound was more hollow than the rest, although on such a subtle note it would escape the attention of all but those who actively searched for it.

Her sensor was impeccable. Through the thin slab of black marble radiated a faint signal of magic energy.

No matter what it was, the source of the force field was lurking just beneath their feet. It was a realization that invoked both the sense of thrill and dread at the same time, the feeling of a huntress stalking her mighty prey.

"This time allow me the honor." Before Rin could reach down to her pouch, Archer took the initiative and gripped his summoned sword.

"Seeing this, I wonder which of us really is the hasty one?"

"I would say both…At any rate, it's your turn to stay back."

Deeming that Archer had made a valid point, Rin stalled her feet and allowed Archer to be the first to enter.

After several swings, the floor collapsed. Sure enough, the cavity underneath was exposed to their eyes. Cutting though the middle of the corridor, the narrow passage seemed to lead deeper underground.

A foul smell drifted from the tunnel and clung to the air like a putrid fog. Under such an unbearable stench, breathing became a great difficulty.

"…What's with the smell? It smells of decay…"

"Be on guard, what's waiting underneath is clearly unpleasant."

"…I can assume that much." To fight against the foul stench, Rin covered her nose and mouth with a handkerchief, but Archer seized her arm before she could march into the narrow corridor.

"Hold it… I'll first scout the area for traps. Follow at a distance."

Agreeing with his reason, Rin stalled her feet and allowed Archer to descend the narrow stairway, leaving a distance of a few paces between them.

Feeling apprehension, half from the stench and half from the fact that they could be striding into a trap, Rin took a deep breath to steel herself and marched downward.

**Homurahara High School** **(12.16AM)**

Darkness

… Deep

… Lurid

….Intoxicating

He reclined his weary self into the wallowing sea of black.

His fighting spirit was all but quenched, indulging in the comfort it offered.

Soon, his consciousness mellowed into one with overwhelming darkness.

….

…..

…

"…ake up"

A foreign voice intruded upon his sanctuary. The peacefulness he savored was being stripped away.

Abel tried to turn in the opposite direction, away from the source of this disturbance.

"Wake up!"

It was just a dream, wasn't it?

Of course, it was a dream… Then if he could just strongly will it, perhaps this annoyance would simply fade away.

"WAKE THE HELL UP!"

Immediately after the roar came a violent shake. Feeling his head snapping back and forth with a violent jerking motion, Abel wearily parted his eyelids.

The first sight he saw was Samael, whose shoulders had visibly loosened in relief.

"Good, now keep those eyes open. It'll be even harder to pry them apart if they fall shut again."

"…The…force…field," Abel croaked.

"Indeed, that means you can't just be lying around. Can you walk?"

"…I...can…try." Abel carefully tested the weight each of his feet could handle before eventually balancing himself up.

"Careful, don't fall and hit your head now."

"…Yeah, I'm fine." While he was able to support his own weight, Abel's upper body swayed back and forth dangerously as he attempted to walk. Apparently, even the word "fine" itself seemed to be a big exaggeration.

Needless to say, Abel's shallow lie earned him a critical stare.

"I said I'm fine."

"Surely, that is not the case…Even so, there is an imperative need for your expertise." Seeing that Abel wasn't in any shape to keep up with his pace, Samael bent down and offered his support. "We best make haste. Lead the way."

Abel slumped down and took the shoulders hesitantly.

At least, Samael seemed to have partly respected his wish. Otherwise, he would have already found himself being carried on Samael's back. Abel knew that no compromise could be accepted in his line of duty just simply because he attempted to walk on his own.

Focusing his mind to overcome the sleepiness, Abel turned his senses outward to search for any distant link to the outside world.

Weak spots were bound to exist in any magic system that attempted to challenge the worldly law. Despite its complexities, the force field was no exception.

These weak spots or rifts would be the result of the world's attempt to reclaim its territory and assail the foreign magic system with its overwhelming pool of mana. Then it would turn into a battle of patience. The cycle would continue as the force field rebuilt its border, while the world tore it down.

Small rifts would emerge as the force field failed to keep up with all the small areas that the world had reclaimed.

Once located, Samael could forcefully pry the rift open, thus allowing the mana of the world to gush in and began the natural process of dismantling the force field.

Feeling a fresh waft of mana crossing by, Abel's mind latched on to this small piece of clue and traced it back until he located a sizable rift. The process was made simpler by the knowledge that the rift could only exist along the border where the world's and force field's mana clashed.

"…Turn left…Now just past that building."

"…The white one over there, understood…" Samael muttered in reply as the pair began to awkwardly limp toward their destination.

With concern for the risk of innocent casualties bearing down on his mind, Abel willed his legs to pick up their pace. However, haste could only remain in his grasp for so long before slipping away.

"Don't rush it…It's difficult to match your pace." While Samael hadn't failed to see the need for haste, he was struggling to match his walking pace with Abel's erratic one. With no clear sign of him stopping, Samael finally deemed that Abel had pushed the limit of his stubbornness too far.

With one swift movement, Abel found himself slung across Samael's shoulder like a piece of luggage.

"…Put me down…"

"Enough, your energy is better reserved for what you do best," Samael said with certain finality to his tone.

The youthful Burier might not enjoy passing him off as a burden, but even he had to admit that his last reserve of energy was best used to a more productive end than dragging his weary feet.

While Abel did comply, his reaction was clearly one of displeasure thus Samael decided to change the topic to something else entirely.

"Structurally speaking, are we heading toward the weakest spot of the force field?"

"I guess…My head is still fuzzy…I can find a few closer…but…"

"…But the strength of this field surpasses all that we've bested so far. Our chances stand low as is. If we are going to pull this gamble, it should be where victory is most likely."

"…Right." Abel uttered a word in response, satisfied that Samael's thoughts echoed his. He was grateful that Samael had personally filled in the missing words and spared him the trouble of explaining.

"Which way?"

While Abel was busy fighting off sleepiness, he'd failed to realize that they were standing right before the wall that divided the force field from the outside. Samael had already stopped, unsure of the direction he should take.

"It's in this area…Too wide…Have to visually confirm the vulnerable part…" Abel said with an even fainter voice from before.

Before them, a wall of red was pulsating with activity like a hungry beast that was gorging itself on all the energy within the vicinity.

Ironically, despite being riddled with numerous rifts, the boundary was where most of the magic energy of the field was concentrated to defend against the assault of the world's mana as well as the occasional attempt to dismantle it from inside. In order to maintain this energy, the absorption would have to be strongest near the border.

As such, it would be safer, considering the field's size and property, that the price of an inaccurate strike would have to be paid with Samael's arm. Unlike any other part of the force field, this living wall would break down any odo upon touch.

"I'll the scale the border up to the opposite end of the building. Tell me to stop when you find the rift."

Despite only having small portion of the force field to work with, the process of analyzing its components was horrendously slow. After wasting precious minutes to synchronize their walking speed with the analysis, they finally completed their first run, albeit without any progress.

"Are you still conscious?"

"…Yeah…I think…"

"Keep your eyes open. There is no guarantee that you'll wake up again. For now, just talk to me. You have to keep your mind preoccupied."

"I'll try…Ask me some questions…I can't think of any."

"…Any input on what happened to the other two?"

"…I can't sense them….Tohsaka-san is not here…Emiya-san, I don't know."

"His magic signature is too small, huh?"

"…Well, what should we do?"

"For now, we'll just focus on what we do best, breaking through the force field. Locating him would just prove to be a waste of time, if we cannot find a way out." Another reason that Samael intentionally omitted was that he trusted Abel's ability to find the rift within the time limit.

Never before had the youth's ability to track down mana let him down. Even if time was working against them, Samael decided against rushing Abel to finish his search. The man was weak to external pressure, so much so that sometimes it was better to keep him in the dark than to allow stress to tamper with his concentration.

Before long, his trust appeared to have paid off as Abel weakly whispered.

"…Found it."

The force field had not made Abel's search easy. The rift was veiled with a camouflaging layer of energy. This little deception briefly had him fooled and wasted a couple of precious minutes, but, now that it was out of the way, there was but one little duty that remained for him.

A specific bullet in his pouch had been saved for this purpose, containing the invocation to make mana of a different concentration glow with a corresponding shade. Technicalities aside, it could paint the rift in a particular color thus allowing Samael to locate it with his bare eyes.

Removing his revolver from its holster, the weapon weighted down his arm like a lump of lead. After some struggle to load the bullet and take aim, Abel eventually managed to pull the trigger.

However, all that followed was silence.

There was no more loose energy within the force field to do his bidding. In fact, even the magic that he reserved to propel the bullet was already eaten away. Thus the satisfying sound of the explosion that should accompany the soft click of the trigger was absent.

"So we will not have any color coding this time…" Samael commented as he observed Abel fumbling with his revolver.

The youth's nimble hand reloaded his revolver, although his movement no longer possessed the same well-trained precision. Worse still, the new set of bullets seemed to fare no better than the last. After several more clinks, Abel shook his head in frustration.

"None…"

"In that case, we'll do it the old fashion way. You can start by outlining the area." A slight apprehension found a place within Samael's mind.

While Abel could pinpoint the location of the rift, it wasn't easy to verbally convey the same knowledge.

"Too high, a bit lower…Wait, you are…skewing right… To the left… where color is most pale."

"Most pale, you say…Not like I can see any difference…Abel, direction?" A longer than usual moment of silence perked Samael's attention. "Abel, are you still with me? Abel?"

By the time that Samael took a glance back, Abel had already collapsed from exhaustion. The youth's eyes were clouded and his head drooping downward

"Come on, tough it out. We're getting there."

"No good…I can't…sense it anymore."

Sleep approached fast at the cost Abel's concentration, stripping him of his ability to sense the rift. Sensing mana flow took a great deal of brainpower and, with all the sleepiness that plagued him, it was already a wonder that he'd lasted that long.

Abel heaved a dejected sigh as it seemed that their usual tactics was approaching an imminent failure.

"…Sorry"

"Never mind, I'll have to figure something out. Hopefully, within the time limit."

"…That's not…encouraging…"

"Nothing seems to be in this situation."

"…Hopefully…I'll wake up to…a clear sky," Abel muttered, regretting that the sky had been blocked from his view by a curtain of purplish red.

If this was supposed to be his last moment, Abel would rather be under a clear blue sky than this sickly purple one. Alas, people of their occupation rarely had the luxury to choose the place and means of their own death. Even for the most experienced Burier, death could come in all unexpected shapes and sizes. Merely staying in a wrong place at a wrong time could often turn out to be a lethal mistake.

"Hope that you'll wake up to the white ceiling of a hospital. A clear sky may very means that you're already up there, singing and playing harp."

"…...Hope…it's not…down there with fire…and pitchforks-"

Before he could finish his sentence, Abel's body was carelessly discarded to the ground.

"Ow…What are you…"

Puzzled by Samael's action, Abel used the last of his strength to pry his eyelids open. All the he could see was his partner rushing away from the wall without even a glance backward.

The sight hadn't managed to clear away any of his worry. No matter what unconventional approach Samael had in mind, he could only hope that it would turn out to be successful.

With a troubled mind, Abel allowed sleep to take over him.

**Matou Residence (12.19PM) **

_Careful not to hit your head, the ceiling is quite low_.

_I'm not that careless. _Rin answered curtly, squinting to see beyond the darkness_. _

The pair had switched to conversing with their minds once they'd entered the narrow pathway. After all, it wouldn't be wise to warn the Master below with their quips and banters.

Aside from the fact that they had to maintain silence, the walk down the staircase wasn't as difficult as they'd anticipated. While the entire length of the corridor went completely unlit, each downward step wasn't steep and Archer could make his way well enough through the darkness.

If there was any complication, it was that the depths of the corridor seemed to be coated in layer of slime that found its way onto their hands and shoes. While the sensation was not particularly unpleasant, its implication along with the stench did feed their imagination with some unpleasant images.

_Squish!_

_W-Wait, I stepped on something._

_I never said we were alone in here, did I? _Archer responded in his usual mocking tone as he watched Rin lean down to inspect her shoe. The smell and the image grew even more unpleasant as fluid leaked from the flattened creature. _And, before you do so, just don't ask what it is. Trust me, you wouldn't want to know._

_I thought you were scouting the area! _Rin complained as soon as she finished scraping the remains of the creature to the side. Its size was roughly a quarter of her feet.

_For traps. Strictly speaking, these creatures hardly count as one. _Archer defended, although his tone revealed that he was amused by her antics. 

…_Geez, let's just hurry down. The shorter we stay here the better. I've already had enough of this place._

_I couldn't agree with you more._

From there, the tunnel only continued for a short distance before emerging into the basement. A quick glance at their surrounding allowed Rin and Archer to reach the same conclusion.

The room was made in resemblance to a catacomb.

The high ceiling of dull grey stone belittled all those who had entered and the wall, riddled with built-in cavities, served as constant reminder that a defeat at the hand of this Master could very well mean that they would be laying in one.

The staircase continued to encircle the room, leading a few meters down before reaching the basement floor, but neither Rin nor Archer was so thrilled at the sight.

True to Archer's word, they were not alone in the basement.

The basement was bustling with activity. Creatures lumped together, sprawling over every inch of the floor to give an illusion that the floor itself seemed to be moving. Apparently, they were the source of this trail of slime and insufferable stench.

As if stepping on one wasn't enough, Rin scrunched up her face with extreme disgust.

_Strange…_ Archer commented.

_Definitely strange…Their defenses were a little on the lenient side. _Rin nodded in agreement. Still, the most important part of the equation was still missing.

Rider and her Master were nowhere to be found.

While Rin had the chance to ponder the best case scenario of coming down to find the magic circle unattended, she wasn't exactly hoping for it, taking into consideration how shrewd and secretive the real perpetrator was.

Even if the Master had gone elsewhere, it was common sense to leave the Servant to guard the area, especially when it seemed that the success of their plan was entirely dependent on the force field. This only led to one logical conclusion.

… _Rider must be hiding for an ambush. Archer, what do you think?_

_If she is here then even my Archer's eyes cannot find her. Either way, it isn't like we have a lot of choices. _

Undaunted, Archer leapt off the side of the staircase. He landed on a pile of oversized maggots, squishing a few and kicking the rest to the side to make room for his feet.

_Come on, Rin, we wouldn't do any good just by standing there. We still have a school to save. _

_You don't need to tell me that._

Swinging both legs over the ledge, Rin prepared to drop herself to the pool of filth below. Disgust welled over her with as she unintentionally squished over a few maggots. Apparently, her attempt to search for an unpopulated spot was vain,

_Nice landing…_

_Cut the jokes, Archer, and help me find the magic circle._

_Acknowledged. _

Although they both tried to make haste, wading through a leg deep layer of maggots was never easy. All the more when some attempted to crawl up beyond their legs, forcing them to periodically shake their legs like a madman to get rid of the annoying critter.

Still, as one should expect from a creature of magic, there was more to the maggots than simple annoyance. As Rin and Archer eventually came to notice, these maggots were feasting on magic energy, theirs to be exact.

For their own sake as well, it was best that they would speed up their search.

_Rin? Any idea where to go from here?_

_The magic circle must be around here somewhere, but these…uh, things are in the way. Geez, we should have just blasted them all away. _

_It's not too late for a large-scale pest extermination. I would have prefered that option myself-_

Archer's tingling sense of danger cut him off in between. What his sense had picked up was killing intent. The feeling was slight, but he couldn't have mistaken it.

Someone or something was lurking within this pile of filth, but nothing seemed amiss even after another glance around.

_Archer? Is something matter with you?_

_Rin, you should get back to the stair. Something is not right._

_Is it an enemy...? Archer! Over there!_

_Tch, we really were being careless. Stay behind me. _

Emerging from the surrounding maggots was Rider, although she seemed…different. She was an evil spirit in the first place, but within this den of filth she appeared even more corrupted than before. The fact that she could camouflage herself among these maggots was enough testimony of that.

Despite catching them completely off guard, Rider made no attempt to go on the offensive. Since Archer was reluctant to do so as well on the grounds that he had Rin to protect, a temporary stalemate followed, allowing them to observe notable changes in her features.

Serpentine would be the word that Rin chose to summarize the change.

Patches of scales had grown on her pale skin and both her arms seemed to have been stretched beyond normal proportions. Still, the most noticeable feature was that her hair was gone, replaced by a horde of hissing snakes.

Rin gasped as she realized Rider's identity. There was only one mythological being to fit Rider's description, the youngest of three Gorgon sisters.

The knowledge turned Rin's attention toward the fact that Rider had chosen not to wear her blindfold. Although her eyes remained mercifully closed, the question was for how long.

_Archer, attack her now! You mustn't allow her to open her eyes._

_Understood._ Being fed up with the stalemate, Archer rushed in with his swords held high, although he was a tad too late to intercept Rider.

Immediately, as if she'd detected his killing intent, her eyelids were parted.

Without the time to move away, both Archer and Rin were caught in her gaze…the gaze of Medusa.

Two lumps of pitch black had filled the sockets instead of the humanly white. Beneath the glazed over surface of her eyes was a thin slit of fiery red. Both of her eyes were abnormally large, easily double the size of an ordinary person's. Once they'd caught her gaze, Rin and Archer found it impossible to turn away.

It was a pair of eyes befitting Medusa. They came to witness firsthand why people of the old times passed on tales of people being petrified upon a single look at her.

But there were more to those eyes than just turning them into stone with terror.

Rin stiffened as her magic circuit was assailed and quickly taken over. The wave of invading magic was so strong that it bypassed every internal defense Rin put up within her circuit. Numbness followed everywhere it touched like a poison that would immobilize instead of kill.

Soon enough, the every nook and cranny of Rin's magic pathways down right to the fingertips was taken over with this poison, leaving several fully charged jewels to remain locked in her grip.

**Homurahara High School (12.28PM)**

It wasn't long before Samael come trotting back to the edge of the force field after briefly searching for the patch of land where the rift was supposed to be located. Toward that end, Abel's motionless body made an excellent landmark.

Setting down a large bundle that was squeezed in between his arms, Samael leaned over to inspect the force field. As with the last time, he failed to see any difference between the field and the rift.

Without Abel's mana sensor, Samael knew that he could be squinting his eyes to look the wall all day long and still fail to find the rift. Their skills were too specialized for him to take on Abel's duty on the spot and his death manipulation skill didn't offer much flexibility for adaption.

Samael then turned to observe the bundle he'd left on the ground, consisting entirely of standard blue curtains. Rushing from school room to school room, Samael spent the last few minutes tearing them down and returned in a hurry. If he could not see the rift through magical means, then it was time for physical improvisation to come in to play.

It was just a ridiculous idea.

Success was not guaranteed or, in fact, even seemed likely, but desperate time called for desperate measures, and Samael would very much rather be testing a farfetched plan than to stick with a method that didn't work.

Spreading a curtain from arm to arm, Samael firmly pressed the layer of fabric against that small area where the rift was supposed to be located. His hands were kept on the opposite end, stretching in the entire piece to be in contact with the field's border.

Due to its low concentration of magic energy, the rift was where the force of absorption was the weakest in the entire dimension of this spherical field. In this sense, if his idea succeeded, the rift would be shown by the last piece of tattered curtain to remain on the surface while the rest would already have been disintegrated.

That being said, while the rift would surely took longer to break down the curtain, that difference might exist in terms of seconds, a scale which was by no means sufficient to make an accurate guess of its location. Worse still, taking the issue of his human error into account, there were more than several ways this idea could come crashing down.

Samael sighed.

It was the best that he could come up with.

Apprehensive silence followed before some changes finally occurred. The air sizzled as part of the curtain was disintegrated to feed the force field. Samael didn't have to wait long before numerous gashes began to emerge on his side.

Searching for the rift was not easy for Samael, who had to reserve half of his concentration to keep his fingers from directly touching the ravenous surface, but he did eventually see it.

A palm size area seemingly unaffected by the force field.

Relief washed over him, seeing how easy it was to find the rift. With no second thought, Samael turned to assail the force field at its weakest spot.

"HAHHHHH!"

The entire length of his arm plunged through the curtain and into the force field with the ease of a hot knife carving through a lump of butter.

Emanating death from his arm, Samael expected to see the rift widening any second, but things took a turn for the expected.

The puny death he sent out was quick to be overwhelmed as the force field began to strike back. The force field simply didn't break down as he had hoped, instead it was his right arm that was being preyed upon. To acquire the energy it needed for regeneration, the field began to digest his arm.

Apparently, the area that he had chose to place his attack was not the rift.

"Arghh! Goddamn!"

His right arm wouldn't budge, despite Samael's best attempt to pull it out of the socket. The unfortunate limb was trapped inside as the force field had regenerated to fill the opening.

"Shit! Shit! Shit! SHIT! SHIT!"

Panic arose as Samael was pressed to salvage whatever was left of his right arm. With no more thought to spare for any other consequences, Samael raised his right foot to deliver a powerful kick to the force field, hoping that the recoil would be enough to free him.

Alas, the force field still persisted even after many thumps and grunts. He seemed to be making no progress.

_This is doing no good. Come on, think…Think of something!_

The last few seconds had proved that a barrage of panic-fuelled kicks was ineffective. What he needed was one strong attack, packed with enough power to free himself from the force field's clutch.

The hostile magic energy reached deeper into his arm by the moment. If Samael didn't act now, there would be little of his arm to salvage but bones and slabs of meat.

Leaning his entire body to the back, Samael gathered energy into his right leg and thrust it forward with all his might.

THUMP!

The impact knocked Samael out of balance, but he didn't quite fall to the ground. The force field left him strung up by the arm.

Frustrated, Samael delivered another kick out of anger.

_Just give in already you, little shit!_

CRACK!

Unexpectedly, Samael found himself being thrown backward by the recoil and landed on the patch of grass below. Nearly unable to believe his luck, he tried to prop himself up, but immediately proceeded to fall flat on the ground.

He gazed downward and saw that his right arm was no longer in a shape that could support any weight.

The whole patch of skin was gone, leaving blood to well out from the newly exposed layer of muscles. Far worse than that was the fact that the arm had become twisted in a weird angle, bending almost 90 degrees beyond the angle it should have been allowed to.

It wasn't the force field that gave out. Rather, it was his own arm that did, snapping in various places to make it flexible enough to squeeze through the opening

Samael had made a costly mistake. A small part of the curtain must have peeled off when he wasn't looking, effectively creating an illusion that the rift was there.

Flexing his left arm, Samael slowly returned to his feet.

…_One last chance. I have to make it count_.

Bearing this heavy burden upon his shoulders, Samael turned to pick up another curtain.

**Matou Household (12.20AM)**

In contrast to the stillness of her body, Tohsaka Rin was working her brain to its limit. She might have a let out a silent grumble, although such movement wasn't allowed now that she was under the Rider's control.

_Calm down…I have to focus._

The magic that Rider used was mostly likely a mystic eye of sort, a medium in which she sent out her magic energy to interfere with the outside world or in this case their body.

What she still had trouble with, however, was to come up with an effective countermeasure.

"You wasted you efforts, girl…It is foolish to think that a Master would leave his residence unguarded." Seeing that his enemy was rendered harmless, Matou Zouken emerged from hiding. His small stature caused him to remain unnoticed right until he had chose to reveal himself. Again, the fact that he could remain hidden in this vile room showed that he must have shed whatever humanity he had long ago.

…_It's annoying, but you are right, Emiya-kun. Sakura doesn't seem to be behind all this_.

Rin observed the wizened shell of a Master that stood before her. She never knew Zouken personally, but she has heard of the "old man of the Matous" a few time in the past through her father's conversation.

This time, surely, they had found the real mastermind.

Frustration began to mount in Rin's mind. She was in no condition to raise an arm to finish off the perpetrator that was just standing within arm's reach, but, before she could get that far, there was one more pressing matter to worry about.

While Rider wasn't so keen in finishing them off, her mystic eye would already beginning to work on that. The magic energy that was earlier used to stop the targets' external movements began to intensify and move on to affect the more delicate processes of their body.

…_Nghhh, is she trying to stop our internal organs as well…? I know I couldn't expect any less from Medusa_.

Still, just laying down to wait for death was definitely not her style. Rin would resist it to the bitter end if need be.

The first attempt came instinctively. Rin had made numerous attempts to move her immobilized body parts, forcing it to shake, swing, or just to make any slightest movement in a futile resistance. Sure enough, her struggle went completely unnoticed.

_What am I thinking? There's no way I could break free from this level of magic so easily. Time for an alternate approach…_

Blatantly trying to move against this immobilization effect didn't sound like a plausible option in the first place, thus she changed her focus to undo with the magic that emit from Rider's mystic eyes.

Concentrating the flow of the magic from her circuit, she attempted to flush the hostile energy away with her own. It was a simple matter of using superior magic to overcome the weaker one.

Chiseling away Rider's magic bit by bit, signs of life gradually returned to her frozen body.

_Alright…if I could just…Aghh!_

…At least, until another stream of Rider's energy flooded into her circuit.

No matter how fast Rin was trying to flush the hostile magic out of her system, Rider would steadily send in more to maintain her control. Eventually seeing it as a futile attempt, Rin was then left to wrack her mind for other methods.

She'd initially hoped that Archer would display more resistance, being a Heroic Spirit, but the lack of activity from him seemed to suggest otherwise.

They were left entirely at her mercy…

Or were they really?

From the corner of her eyes, she could see of Archer test swing his sword-wielding right hand. In sheer luck, his entire right arm had been positioned backward when he was immobilized, thus allowing the movement to be hidden from their enemy, but not for Rin who stood behind him. His eyes were filled with determination.

Rin took a few moments to piece the information together and realized what was to come next.

Just as she began to suspect that Archer was going down with far too little resistance, it turned out that he did have his final claw waiting to strike. Still, it was one on a time limit and clocking was ticking fast.

A Heroic Spirit might have had much more energy to resist the mystic eyes than any ordinary magus, but Rider took her ability to a whole new level. Archer was already standing on the verge of defeat himself. His right wrist was the last line of defense where he continued to resist the mystic eyes.

_Come on, Archer, what are you waiting for…?_

Deciding that their chance of survival was best placed with Archer's gambit, the lack of action frustrated Rin.

Perhaps Archer was uncertain of the trajectory or he was waiting for a prime opportunity. After all, he only had one shot at turning the tide.

Either way, to make the situation work out in their favor, Rin decided that she might have to pitch in a little.

Trying to catch the old man's eyes, Rin poured all the anger and hatred she had into her eyes. Surely, her glare didn't escape Zouken's notice.

"...What's the matter? If you are so disgusted, then why don't you try to run, eh little girl?"

Although the time since they've first met was brief, she was not mistaken that Zouken was the type to revel in his superiority by looking down and mocking his fallen opponent. The hint of her futile resistance would naturally be an amusing sight.

The sight of Zouken mocking her powerlessness sickened Rin, but she wouldn't have to wait for much longer.

It could be any second now. Archer wouldn't miss this opportunity.

Then, faster that her eyes could keep up with, Archer snapped his wrist and release their final trump card.

The sword, Kanshou, traveled in an arc across the room. Being colored in the shade of pitch black, the surrounding darkness served as camouflage to its movement.

The set up worked excellently. Zouken still remained oblivious to the approaching threat as the blade came closer, closer…

And stopped just before it sliced through his head.

Frozen in midair.

Rider had turned to her eyes away from them to save Zouken from this approaching threat.

…_So her mystic eye could also affect objects. Geez, after we were so close!_

But that was when Rin noticed a certain change. Without Rider to maintain constant eye contact, limited extent of movement had returned her body and, armed with fully charged jewels in her right hand, Rin did the only sensible thing. She threw them, as fast and as hard as her still clumsy arm could.

The magic inside the jewels was ignited and transformed each piece into ray of light, assailing the target in a great barrage.

Rider, however, had made no attempt to dodge. With one fluid movement of her neck, her gaze was turned toward this new threat, leaving the now harmless sword to disgracefully drop to the ground.

As if they'd struck an invisible wall, all but one projectile ceased their movement.

Perhaps Rin's right arm was strained from being frozen in the same posture for so long that one certain jewel was thrown in a steep upward angle, allowing it to go over Rider's field of vision, albeit at an angle that would render it harmless.

The remaining jewels that had failed to escape eventually gave their last sizzle and burned themselves out into nothingness.

_It also works on magic in addition to objects_. Rin would have clucked her tongue, if the movement was allowed_…This will complicate things even more._

The short exchange gave Rin one last piece of information to work out the effect of Rider's mystic eye.

Unlike the less powerful variation that simply paralyzed the target, this certain pair would forbid, within her field of vision, the process of transferring energy into movement. Since the mystic eye targeted the phenomenon that created movement, not the being, it was only natural that the effect would extend to inanimate objects as well as magic.

The eyes granted Rider a perfect offensive and defensive ability in one. Any attack that headed her way would end in failure with as little as her sideway glance and the attacker would be left to her mercy.

Without it, her Master wouldn't have remained unscathed after Archer's surprise attack.

With a clear notion of superiority, Zouken limped toward the fragmented part of Rin's jewel, tapped on it deridingly, and eventually crushed it with his cane.

"Common magic from a Tohsaka, a greatly inconvenient style as always..." Zouken paused as he came to notice Rin's glare and let out a mocking chuckle. "Still haven't lost your spite, girl? No matter… what is there to fear, if you cannot throw your jewels?"

Rin tried to ignore the old man's words. There was no point in sparing her concentration to be riled up by his insult.

Archer also seemed to be deep in thought, albeit he still hadn't come up with an good approach to take.

"Once both of you have completely stopped, your body will be left here for them to breed on. For a magus of your level, struggle is futile…" Leaving with an ominous laugh, Zouken faded into the shadowy corner once more. He could never grow tired of the sight of a live human being infested and broken into an insect nest, a breathtaking spectacle for someone with a sense as twisted as his.

Despite his confidence, there was one crucial fact that Zouken got wrong.

Throwing was not the only way she could use her jewel. The earlier barrage was but a distraction. Her real purpose all along was to reach for this one particular jewel that was now squeezed in between her thumb and index finger.

Hoping that Shirou would still have his ready, Rin began to establish a line of contact between the two jewels.


End file.
